Gundam 00C: Redemption
by Radomir's Renegades
Summary: Redemption begins with a simple step forward for many that are in need of change. For some people, it's a traumatic loss in one's own life and for others, it's a mistake that has been committed which can never be undone. Non-romantic HixarxAnew, additiona
1. Stage One: The First Step

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00.

So this will be the first installation of the series that will eventually be compiled in what I like to call "Dimensional Innovation Rewrite", starting with Gundam 00, then the Naruto portion and finally Gundam Seed. Now that the Naruto manga has finally ended, I can easily say that I may have a rather different outtake to the entire Naruto series. Without a further ado, welcome to Gundam 00C: Redemption.

* * *

><p><strong>Stage One: The First Step<strong>

A journey to redemption can easily begin with a single step once a fault has been admitted, yet it is not so easy to acknowledge one's own shortcomings. How far can humans learn from their own mistakes will be up to them, but how redemption can be achieved can shape a man's life. People with minor roles may be dismissed as insignificant figures that have no story worth telling, but deep inside their roles will eventually grow. Whether a person suffered a traumatic incident or has experienced a personal loss, any of these things may count as the start of the journey towards redemption. This is a story of several people whose lives will be intertwined, but are rarely known.

Krung Thep in the year 2306 was unlike any other space stations where astronauts conduct their research, because inside this satellite resource station there is a secret that had to be kept from outsiders at all costs. The future of humanity is being forged in this very place, and the presence of advanced technology is something that the mysterious group calling themselves Celestial Being had constantly guarded in order to make sure it did not fall into the wrong hands. In a world where zero-sum games are still being played and human suffering has been escalated as a result of greedy desires and imperialism. It was up to Celestial Being to put an end to these things, but as of now, they are not yet ready.

"VEDA has given me a short notice on the roster of the new Gundam Meisters," a purple haired man spoke up as he floated towards an older woman. Her brunette hair and busty figure was something most men would dream of for their prospective girlfriends, but to some people within Celestial Being, she is just a comrade. "Sumeragi Lee Noriega, I don't understand why VEDA has decided on five Gundam Meisters instead of the expected four members."

Sumeragi Lee Noriega shrugged. "Has VEDA really given you that short notice?"

"Have you even read the reports?" the man asked back. Standing in the distance was a young man with light shade of blond hair and a small, black necklace on his neck. "That man over there had shot another Gundam Meister without having a memory of what really happened."

"Hmm." Sumeragi mused. She looked towards the newcomer while the purple haired man beckoned for him to come forward. "Hixar Fermi, former Gundam Meister and pilot of the GN Sefer. It seems that VEDA has selected you to join our group."

"You must understand, Ms. Sumeragi. Grave Violento was marked for 'deletion' by VEDA," Hixar Fermi told the brunette. "I was acting strange when Grave died. Tieria, you must have realized that VEDA had been tampered with in the past."

"I don't believe for one second that VEDA could easily be hacked. Who would do such a thing?" Tieria Erde replied back.

Hixar looked down. "When Grave was still alive, VEDA gave him a weird order to leave a young boy alone. It was the same boy who saw 0 Gundam's performance in Krugis and was told that he had high potential for this organization."

"Yes, I do remember that part where he was brought into our group. Tieria, you remember someone saying that he was too young to become a Gundam Meister, right?" Sumeragi looked towards where the unfamiliar machines are being built. "I believe it was Allelujah or Lockon who said it."

"Allelujah Haptism said it. Besides, Fereshte's also being formed to act as our shadow support in case we get into deep trouble. Unfortunately, all of the Meisters who don't support our ideals and are useful in fighting have a small bomb attached to their necks in case they betrayed us." Tieria gazed at Hixar, and then at a machine with what appeared to be a cone on its back. "The Gundam Rasiel. We may have to construct a sixth GN Drive that can be used for the second-generation suits, now that 0 Gundam's GN Drive is going to be used for Fereshte's shadow interventions."

"I don't know how easy it would be to create a new GN Drive, Tieria. Fon Spaak's been recruited into Fereshte, but with an unstable behavior, it won't be long before he bites the dust, so to speak." Hixar gestured at the Gundam Rasiel. "Rasiel's not really useful for armed interventions by itself, but the Plutone can't be used."

"I know why it can't be used, Hixar," Tieria told him. "As of now, you are a Gundam Meister. However, you will have to wait until a new machine could be built to your liking, or if you can find an older model and have a GN Condenser attached to it."

* * *

><p><strong>AD 2306<strong>  
><strong>AEU Croatia-Serbia Border<strong>

To say that war was going to break out between two major powers will always be proven wrong, but for the AEU, any border skirmish would be used as a caucus belli for a new conflict. Ever since the Fourth Solar War, tensions between the AEU and its enemy, the Human Reform League had remained at an all time high. As to prove to the world that the tensions are real, several airfields were constructed in the vicinity of both Vukovar and the old Serbo-Croat border. Dozens of the older AEU-05/05 Hellion Perpetuum were rolled out of the hangars while ten additional AEU-05/92 Hellion Initium mobile suits moved behind their Perpetuum counterparts. Inside the command center, several AEU officers gathered around an electronic table as one of its leaders began to give a briefing on the situation at hand.

"AEU High Command has given us the green light to intervene against the pro-HRL government in Belgrade. Despite our generous offers of AEU membership and economic aid, the Serbian government has constantly rejected our offer. I'm not sure if it's because of their pride, or the fact that they still don't trust us even after several battles was waged in the last four Solar Wars that we fought against the HRL." Kati Mannequin pointed at the holographic map of the Balkans. "Our troops from the Romanian border will move to secure the airfields in Vrsac and Zrenjanin, while the 8th Aerial Mobile Squadron stationed in Hungary will capture three major cities that are used as HRL garrisons: Sombor, Bajmok and Subotica. We'll fly off from Vukovar and capture Novi Sad before descending towards Belgrade. Any questions?"

"There is one question, Colonel Mannequin," one of the officers raised his hand up. "Wouldn't a quick bombing campaign be more suitable?"

"Unfortunately, the Serbian military has bought plenty of HRL-made Tieren Anti-Aircraft Cannon Type in addition to several of the Hellion Initiums that were purchased illegally. We may have to engage both the Serbian Tierens and that of the HRL. We're facing off against the HRL in this mission, so do not hesitate to take them out," Kati ordered. When all of the officers nodded, she then gave out another order, "Dismissed!"

Thirty minutes later, all of the Hellions waited on the open airfield while several air traffic control personnel ran towards the edge of the airfield. As soon as they waved their flags around, several Hellions took off, with ten of those units taking off ever twenty minutes. By the time 100 Hellions were airborne, one of the Hellions with a distinct marking flew ahead.

"We have enemy units approaching our range within five minutes. Spread out once they open fire," Rudolf Schreiber barked over the comm. Sure enough, enemy anti-aircraft cannon fire erupted from below. "Scheisse. Open fire at once!"

The Hellions began to fire below while the Tieren Anti-Aircraft Cannon Type units retaliated by firing off some of their anti-air missiles. Below, several Hellions in their mobile suit mode faced serious opposition from the well entrenched Fanton units. Indeed, three Hellions were already destroyed within twelve minutes as the Fantons swung their carbon spear to cleave them in half before the rest of the Hellions descended from the sky and stabbed the offending Fanton in the engine, creating an explosion in the progress. Further south, other Hellions managed to move closer towards the entrenched positions occupied by a different looking Fanton that is commonly known as the Anf. Its smoothbore cannons struck one Hellion in the chest, and caused an explosion.

"Status?" Rudolf asked one of the subordinates who is still flying ahead before transforming into its mobile suit mode.

"Sir, we're facing serious counter battery fire from the Anfs and the Fantons!" one of the pilots shouted before his Hellion was struck by a powerful burst of anti-mobile suit gunfire.

Rudolf growled in frustration and aimed his rifle at the offending Anf. Unfortunately, several shells landed beside him as he was forced to retreat back to where he first started and waited until fresh reinforcements arrived. As soon as three additional Anfs and Fantons arrived at the same spot, he beckoned for five Hellions to launch a bombing attack against the entrenched positions.

"They have no air cover, but we shouldn't just write them off like that," Rudolf said to himself. He fired his linear rifle at the Anf as it exploded from the shot it sustained. Suddenly, a burst of machine gun fire erupted from his right as the Hellions were forced to evade. A newer model accompanied by additional Fantons had just taken out three Hellion Initiums while Rudolf grabbed his sonic blade and swung it at the new Tieren Ground Type as it brought out its handheld axe. "So that's the new Tieren they've been bragging about. As always, your machines are too slow, Human Reform League!"

The Tieren simply shoved the Hellion aside as three Fantons continued to fire its machine guns at Rudolf. Inside the Tieren, a pilot looked around as several bombs began to fall into the ground from the sky. Three Tieren Anti-Aircraft Cannon Types rushed to shoot down the Hellions that dropped the bombs, but Rudolf used the opportunity to throw his sonic blade into one of the Anti-Aircraft units and slashed the knife across the cockpit before firing a single burst from his linear rifle.

"Whoever came up with this kind of tactic must be pretty talented indeed," Rudolf growled back.

Inside a command post occupied by the Human Reform League, a scarred man watched as several officers chatted in the background and passing folders to each other constantly. One of the officers then handed him the folder containing sensitive information that would only be presented to higher ranked officers.

"Colonel Smirnov, we've taken too many casualties from the AEU invasion. Perhaps we should retreat while we still have a chance," one of the HRL officers told Colonel Smirnov, but he shook his head.

"We cannot retreat, or Novi Sad falls. Don't forget that we're defending this place as if we're defending HRL territory," Sergei Smirnov told his subordinate. He looked at the holographic map of the battlefield at hand and frowned. "Have the 21st Mobile Suit Corps deploy to the border with Romania and the 26th to the border with Macedonia and Bulgaria. We're stretched as it is, and we can't bring fresh reinforcements from the HRL bases in southern Russia."

Just then, another officer ran into him and saluted. "Colonel Smirnov, the Serbian Army's taken huge casualties as well. Their leaders told me to tell you that they are ready to commence guerrilla warfare."

"Isn't that a bit too soon? They haven't occupied the entire country yet," Sergei told the newcomer. "Ensign Ming, tell Colonel Pang to move his group towards the Bulgarian border. Vranje must be defended at all costs."

"Yes, Colonel." Ensign Ming saluted and walked out of the command post. Sergei then began to move towards the door, accompanied by five other officers beside him.

"As of now, we still can't deploy the rest of the Tierens due to their initial testing stages. What are we going to do if the AEU continues to escalate this conflict?" Another officer asked him.

Sergei grimaced. "We'll just make them pay in blood. We don't have to win this at all. We just need to make the AEU lose more men and materiel. Knowing the history of this place, I suspect that guerrillas will have fun making these bastards miserable." He walked towards the hangar where five unmanned Fantons and two Tierens were parked. He climbed inside one of the newer Tierens, activated its engines and began to move out of the hangar. "Status report!"

"Twelve Fantons have been destroyed and twenty tanks obliterated. We managed to shoot down over ten enemy Hellions, but they just keep on coming. On top of that, fourteen Serbian Anfs were destroyed in the initial attack on the Vukovar Line." An officer relayed his message to Sergei as the Tieren aimed its smoothbore cannon into one of the Hellions that continued to fire its linear rifle.

"If this keeps up, then we will have to fall back all the way to Belgrade. Even with our newer Tierens and older Fantons, we might not be able to throw the AEU off this territory," Sergei explained to the surviving Tierens. "All anti-aircraft units, continue engaging the enemy Hellions! The rest of you, follow me!"

Sergei continued to fire its smoothbore cannon into the rest of the Hellions as he spotted AEU infantry soldiers moving along with their tanks into the entrenchment. At the same time, twenty HRL ground troops arrived from an armored fighting vehicle as both sides traded machine gun fire. While the Tieren Ground Types provided the artillery fire needed to take out the arriving AEU tanks, the HRL brought out their own tanks to reinforce the infantry that continued to swarm in multiple directions.

"50 Serbian T-90 battle tanks are on their way right now, but our convoy has been trapped in Novi Sad due to some logistical problems," another Tieren pilot told Sergei just before a Hellion crashed down into the ground beside him. "Colonel Smirnov, can we hold out at all?"

"We can hold out for sure. I don't know how will the Serbs hold out, but all the same we must defend them. They are our allies, and the AEU doesn't like our presence here at all. Soldiers, keep pushing forward!" Sergei shouted as the Fantons kept on arriving at the entrenchment. "Bombard at will!"

Several Tieren Anti-Aircraft Cannon Types fired salvos of anti-air missiles at the incoming Hellion Initiums while their Perpetuum counterparts evaded them and moved closer towards the anti-air units. It was at this point that the Fantons and Anfs painted in Serbian Army standard color began to bombard the surging AEU infantry with artillery barrages while several AEU tanks were destroyed by the Fantons' carbon spear.

Meanwhile, Rudolf and the other Hellions were still pinned down at the other side of the border as the Tierens kept up the pressure on them. He spotted three AEU tanks already destroyed and several AEU infantry soldiers gunned down by the hulking Anfs. He fired his linear rifle at an approaching antique, or more precisely, an old Serbian T-90 battle tank. The tank exploded and the path was clear for the Hellions and the ground troops that provided the necessary support.

Suddenly, Rudolf heard a siren inside his own Hellion as he looked up towards the Tierens and Fantons that began to launch their artillery barrage towards them. To make matters worse, two of the other Hellions were taken out by a Tieren with a different color, forcing him to move to the side. He saw that Tieren once again five minutes later, this time putting aside the smoothbore cannon and grabbed a carbon axe. Rudolf responded by grabbing his sonic blade and clashed.

"That Tieren fights rather differently from the others," he told himself before he saw the smoothbore cannon pointed at him. "Shit!"

"This guy's good." Sergei continued to fire his smoothbore cannon until several shells fired from the Fantons landed closer towards the Hellion. "We're not done yet! AEU reinforcements are still pouring in, so unless we get permission to invade AEU territory to take out the airfields, we'll just have to outlast them!"

* * *

><p><strong>AD 2306<br>UNION TERRITORY**  
><strong>ALASKA, NORTH AMERICA<strong>

To say that Alaska was just a place full of exotic forest wildlife was not an understatement at all, it is proven through its lush forests and ice caps that dominated the mountain ranges of this far flung territory that is the Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations. Yet this beautiful state that is a part of the United States of America became a suitable place where the Union had established their military base and where the bulk of the Union's military is stationed in the event that the HRL would launch their invasion of Alaska once again, as they had done in the last four Solar Wars.

Joshua Edwards was like any other Union pilots who fought for the service of their country: brash, confident and a bit egotistical. Unlike most of the Union pilots however, he had plenty of experience piloting several Flag models and Realdos from his time as a test pilot in this very same military base. Moreover, he had a grudge against another aspiring ace, one Graham Aker whose role in the death of Sleg Sletcher had made his grudge stronger.

"Lieutenant Edwards, sir," one of the Union pilots said as she approached him and handed him an envelope. "There's a message for you from your cousin."

"Thanks, Ensign Peterson," Joshua replied back. He grabbed the envelope and began to read. "It's from my cousin Victoria. She wants to meet me in three hours."

The hangars in Alaska were unlike any designs that were common in most AEU military bases in size and shape, primarily because the Flags and Realdos that were parked inside are in their mobile armor mode. Parked inside one of the hangars was Joshua's custom YMS-01A Union Flag with his personal insignia on it. Two regular Realdos were parked on each side of the custom Flag, while three Realdo tanks were being rolled inside another hangar.

A car arrived in front of the military base as the driver waited for Joshua and his adjutant to arrive. Just after three minutes, the two men climbed inside the car and its driver moved into the road and towards the main traffic. More trees covered the sides of the forests while Joshua could see Union officers and their subordinates on a training exercise. By the time they reached the city of Fairbanks, another car moved beside Joshua's car. A red haired woman around Joshua's age stepped out of the car, accompanied by a butler and her own driver.

"Victoria, it's good to see you again," Joshua said. They embraced each other while the drivers parked their vehicle. "How's Uncle Sleg's grave?"

Victoria Sletcher smiled. "Papa's grave is well kept, but you haven't visited his grave in a while. Even when he was still alive, he's been offering my hand in marriage to that Aker fellow."

"I wouldn't go anywhere near that man if I were you," Joshua replied back bitterly. "Even if it wasn't his fault, I'd still hold him responsible for what happened."

"Why don't we visit Papa's grave and you can bring flowers too. The old flowers are about to die, and they're in need of replacing." Victoria and Joshua walked inside a flower shop while three Realdo Tanks drove through the highway. Meanwhile, a dark skinned Union officer entered the flower shop and spotted the two customers. "Hello there."

The Union officer saluted to Joshua. "Daryl Dodge at your service, Lt. Edwards. We have a complicated situation with Bell Factory's Union Blast."

"I'll wait for you outside." Victoria walked out of the flower shop.

"What is it?" Joshua whispered.

"Chief Engineer Katagiri said that there's been a new interest for that decomissioned model, but I thought the information about the Union Blast was classified," Daryl told him. "Professor Eifman also mentioned something about non-aligned nations that have taken interest in the Blast, as well as some disturbances where we arrested a civilian for trespassing on Union territory in the Bering Sea."

Joshua frowned. "If the professor was serious about it, then why hasn't Bell Factory responded yet?"

"They've been bankrupt lately as a result of the failed bid for the Blast. Come to think of it, was there someone who was also a test pilot for the Blast besides you?" Daryl asked again. They decided to step out of the flower shop as an AFV arrived while Victoria rejoined them. "Hello, Victoria."

"Hello to you, Daryl. Joshua, I can't find any good flowers to place on Papa's grave. I'll see you around." Victoria approached her own car, climbed inside as the driver sped off.

"How many Blast units were produced?" Joshua asked after the two Union officers climbed inside the AFV.

"Just two of them, but I also forgot to tell you the man who was the test pilot besides yourself. Actually, he wasn't that much of a test pilot, more like a terrorist who also fought as a mercenary," Daryl replied back. He showed Joshua a picture of what appeared to be a young man with blond hair and a crazy look on his face. "I don't know this man to be honest."

* * *

><p><strong>KRUNG THEP<strong>

By now, all of the Gundam Meisters had gathered around in a single spot, with Tieria and Hixar facing off against three other pilots. One of the Meisters had his eye covered by his bangs while the oldest looking Meister wore a vest on top of his green shirt. The youngest Meister wore a plain, white long sleeve shirt and a scarf was worn around his neck.

"You've all been gathered here today because we have one more Gundam Meister that I wish to introduce to you all," Sumeragi said. The personnel who worked inside the newest battleship also moved towards the Meisters. "This is Hixar Fermi, and he will become the fifth Gundam Meister."

"Fifth Meister?" Allelujah Haptism asked back. "Does he have a Gundam to pilot?"

"Unfortunately, his Gundam will be the Rasiel, which is a second-generation. I don't suppose he'll pilot the 0 Gundam since its GN Drive is now under Fereshte's control, though there's always the Plutone, Sadaalsuud and the Astrea. What do you think, Hixar?" Tieria asked HIxar. He soon smiled at the entire crew.

"The Sadalsuud would be a good fit for me, but how can it run on anything if the GN Drive will be used by Fereshte?" Hixar asked back."Can't you guys build a GN Condenser instead?"

"We'll come up with something, Hixar," Tieria replied back. "Just head towards the machine you've chosen."

Hixar nodded and moved towards a blue humanoid machine that stood at a very far end of the entire hangar. Its blue paint shone with the light bouncing back from the machine's frame while the two boosters looked as if they haven't been tested in the open yet. Yet the only distinguishing feature that separated the Sadalsuud from the rest of the third generation machines is that there is no GN Drive in its back, making the Sadalsuud inoperable.

"Yes, I will help Celestial Being, even if I can't do it with an incomplete machine," Hixar told himself. "I will be the one to help change the world."

* * *

><p>So that starts Gundam 00C: Redemption. I'm still rusty from a long time of inactivity in fanfiction so hopefully give me more tips on how to write the characters from the side stories. Advice on mobile suits, grammar and character development would be appreciated.<p> 


	2. Stage Two: Arising Curtain

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00.

NOTES:

Before I begin, I'll clear things up about the characters that have appeared in this fanfic. Rudolf Schreiber is not an OC: he's one of the canon characters from the Gundam 00 movie. There will be more characters from the Gundam 00 movie that will have their background stories explained.

In addition, mobile suits that have appeared in the side stories will also make an appearance here, namely the Union Blast, the variations of the Enact, Tierens, Anfs and the Gundam Rasiel was even mentioned. However, it's hard to make a genuine GN Drive though.

* * *

><p><strong>Stage Two: Arising Curtain<strong>

**FEBRUARY 28, AD 2306  
>UNION TERRITORY<br>****BELL FACTORY  
><strong>**TORONTO, ONTARIO**

Since the disastrous showing of its prototype unit, the Union Blast, Bell Factory has struggled to keep up with its financial crisis. Many of its employees have been laid off, and the company has found it difficult to display its inferior product to even non-aligned nations that are seeking to replace their older models. Yet in the midst of Bell Factory's difficulties, there were several investors that are willing to buy out the company's shares.

Two people approached the doors to Bell Company's corporate office with suitcases on their hands. One of the men approaching the entrance had a distinct elite-like aura in his expression that is matched by the bright colors he chose for his suit. The shorter man was rather different, for his green hair and white clothing gave the impression that he must be a servant of the taller man. Once the two men were escorted into the CEO's office, the CEO had gotten off the phone.

"Yes, I'll talk to you later." the CEO of Bell Factory turned to the two men present. "Ah, you two must be the investors that I've talked to earlier."

"Alejandro Corner at your service, and my assistant here is Ribbons Almark." The red suited man shook hands with the CEO. "And you must be Michael Jennings, the CEO of Bell Factory."

"Of course. You are both here to give me a proposal. Let me hear it." The brown haired man gestured for his assistant to close the door.

Ribbons began to explain. "We are here to invest in your company. As you know, Bell Factory has produced a mobile suit that has performed decently, even if it is inferior while it is in mobile suit mode. If you accept our $200,000,000 offer, we can acquire 30% of Bell Factory's shares."

Jennings sighed. "You two are not the only ones that are after this company. Many others have come with similar offers, but they are either tied to shady organizations or other nations. I am not willing to risk the future of Bell Factory for something that I'll be in trouble with the CIA later on."

"Rest assured that we are not connected to any group at all." Alejandro opened the suitcase containing untold sums of money, all of them in what appeared to be a shade of green gray bill and the insignia of the Union on it. Ribbons did the same. "I was once a Realdo pilot during my military service in the Union military. Perhaps I could give my input on why the Blast performed rather poorly in its mobile suit mode."

Alejandro picked up the picture of what appeared to be a heavily modified Realdo, but with a set of different colors. "Unbelievable. What happened to the Blast?"

"It lost to the proto-Flag in a performance test. Rumor has it that Sleg Sletcher committed suicide, but we don't know the details. The Blast was decommissioned, but thanks to your investment, we might get some new customers for it," Jennings replied back. A minute later, one female assistant showed up as Ribbons closed the suitcase. "This lady here will show you two the location of the Union Blast."

"Thank you." Alejandro and Ribbons followed the female assistant out of Jennings's room and out of the building.

The hangar beside Bell Factory's corporate office was rather impressive, even if there was no production going on. Inside the hangar was the machine exactly depicted in the photo Alejandro picked up. The Union Blast looked new, even if some of its parts were already taken down, and its rifle was still in its hands.

"So that is the Union Blast. I can see why it doesn't perform well when it's in mobile suit mode." Alejandro gave Ribbons' suitcase with the same amount of money inside. "Give this to Mr. Jennings as sign of proof that we would like to also purchase the Union Blast as well."

"Very well, sir." the assistant grabbed the suitcase and left.

Ribbons gazed at the Union Blast and frowned. "What will you do to this machine, Sir Alejandro? As far as I'm concerned, no nation in the entire world would be interested in such an inferior product."

"Ah, but we're not just looking for any nation interested in this machine, Ribbons." Alejandro smirked. "Celestial Being would also benefit greatly from using this prototype too, even if they may have to develop something to help propel it."

* * *

><p><strong>HUMAN REFORM LEAGUE TERRITORY<strong>  
><strong>MOSCOW, RUSSIAN FEDERATION<strong>  
><strong>MARCH OF AD 2306 <strong>

Nothing scares a visitor as the majestic Kremlin, with its red walls and its sentry guards. Ever since the conflict that became known as World War Three, or the First Solar War, broke out two hundred and ninety one years ago over what appeared to be a major political crisis in Ukraine, the world has entered a dangerous new phase where open hostility and aggression is now widely encouraged. Within those years, several more Solar Wars were fought over energy supplies and dwindling oil supplies that made it too priceless to be sold on the world market. The oil shortage crisis eventually led to the creation of the three solar elevators that dotted the Earth in what was to become humanity's race to the final frontier.

Never in the ancient history of the Russian nation have Oleg Mikhailovich Milyukov have witnessed Russia's prosperity within the Human Reform League, of which several of its officers that came from this very sacred soil had served for the HRL military, among them the legendary Wild Bear of Russia, Sergei Smirnov. Milyukov himself on the other hand, was an ageing man with only a few years left in him before it is time for him to pass away and to select a successor. Right now, the President of the Russian Federation sat inside an office he held for eighteen years that also served as his personal residence, the Russian White House.

"Never in three hundred years have we managed to survive this far without losing more people in the process," a gaunt looking man with grey hair mused. Two female secretaries arrived to hand him the folders he requested earlier while an HRL officer arrived and saluted. "Report."

"_Da, Tovarisch President_," the HRL officer spoke back in Russian. "Colonel Smirnov is holding out in Novi Sad while our Serbian allies are being pummeled by the AEU invasion force that entered their territory." He pointed at a map that was attached to the folder. "AEU positions have been established in Srbobran and Ruma, while another AEU army is poised to strike against our southern garrison led by Colonel Pang in Surdulica, Pirot and Vranje. Other than that, the other AEU forces are not moving in Hungary or Romania due to their fear that we might strike them from Bessarabia."

Milyukov nodded. "What of Montenegro and Macedonia?"

"Sir, with your permission, we can launch a counter-attack against the AEU in those regions. Unfortunately, we have an AEU garrison stationed in Albania and Greece to worry about, and the Bulgarians are also itching to fight." The HRL officer was suddenly interrupted by another officer who entered the President's room. "What is it?"

The second HRL officer saluted. "_Tovarisch President_, an encrypted message has arrived here from the capital."

"_Khorosho_. Both of you can go now." Milyukov nodded to the two HRL officers who saluted and left the room. He then inserted a small triangular stick into the computer and sure enough, a message that was jumbled appeared. In addition, the screen also opened up to reveal a young Asian man in his forties on another window. "Chancellor Zhao, it's good to see you again."

"President Milyukov. I am calling you because we'll need Colonel Smirnov's help soon. We've got an insurgency breaking out in both Ceylon and the Philippines." The Chancellor of the HRL spoke first. He uploaded a picture of what appeared to be a military base that is surrounded by a jungle. "It's kinda sad, but the AEU really intends to fight us to the bitter end."

Milyukov sighed. "Tell me about it. Every terrorist that attacks us has a Hellion variant, and even rebels that we're fighting against managed to secure Realdos and Hellions too."

"That is exactly why we need to wrap up the Balkan Front and recall Colonel Smirnov at once. Also, we cannot afford to lose our most valuable military base in the entire Human Reform League," Zhao replied back sternly. "Over and out."

Outside the Kremlin, a brown haired HRL officer watched as the sentry guards continued to march until two new arrivals approached them and changed shifts. One soldier saluted to him while two more soldiers did the same. In the distance, several T-90 battle tanks rode across the street, accompanied by what appeared to be a heavily modified infantry fighting vehicle. In total, there were four IFVs that accompanied the battle tanks. Kim stood up from his seat as one of the IFVs approached him. He saluted to a tank crew who exited from the IFV.

"Colonel Kim, sir. Tovarisch President expects you to come to his office immediately," the IFV crew member told him. Kim nodded and climbed inside.

"Just what are those tanks doing in the middle of the road?" Kim asked the rest of the IFV crew. An IFV driver responded.

"They're being deployed to Serbia, Colonel. Apparently our military has authorized the sales of our last remaining T-90 battle tanks in favor of the Armata multi-purpose tank. At the same time, our new Tierens are being rolled out of the factory as we speak."

Kim chuckled. "We're just as bad as the AEU in terms of selling weapons to any tinpot nation, but in this case that so-called 'tinpot nation' happens to be one of our oldest and most reliable ally left in Europe."

"Yes, sir." The IFV arrived outside the Russian Bely Dom as Kim exited from the IFV he rode on. He saluted to two sentries who stood guard in front of the entrance as three junior officers escorted him towards the President's office.

"Colonel Kim reporting for duty, Gospodin President."

Milyukov gave him a small nod and made a gesture for him to sit down. "I summoned you here for a mission though, but rest assure that Chancellor Zhao has authorized this mission and I am only carrying out his orders."

"Of course, sir. What kind of mission is it?" Milyukov handed him a folder. Kim opened it and his eyes grew wide. "A counter-insurgency mission in the Philippines, sir?"

"Yes. As you know, pro-Union rebels operating in the Luzon and Mindanao region have engaged in small scale skirmishes for a long time despite our heavy security presence in the region. Three weeks before the AEU attacked our garrison in Serbia, the pro-Union forces staged a raid on our most important naval base in Subic Bay. Fifty HRL soldiers were killed in the attack, and rebel losses were numerous. I am also assigning to you two soldiers." Milyukov heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

An older looking woman in her thirties entered the room, followed by a young boy in his preteens. Kim was rather shocked at the appearance of the young boy, especially dressed in a kid-sized HRL uniform. Both of them saluted to Kim, which he returned but his expression did not change at all. In fact, he gazed the boy first, then at the older woman before he started to speak.

"I'm Colonel Kim and I'll be your commanding officer for this mission that we're about to undertake. May I please know your identities?" he began. The older woman spoke first.

"Lieutenant Delphine Bedelia, sir!"

"Ensign Leonard Fiennes, sir!"

"How old are you, Ensign Fiennes?" Kim asked the boy.

"Twelve years old, sir. I came from the Super Soldier Institute, which explains my service with the HRL," Leonard spoke back.

Kim sighed. "Super Soldier Institute? Why do I get the feeling that we may suffer from political fallout as a result of this project?"

"We're ready, sir. Just tell us what we're supposed to do," Delphine said. Kim pressed a button as a holographic map of the Philippines appeared on the screen.

"Your records say that you and Ensign Fiennes both come from this country, right?" Kim asked them. They nodded. "There are groups of pro-Union rebels who are fighting an insurgency in the country since the Fourth Solar War that took place in the 2240s, and since then, our casualties are growing sporadically. In addition, your knowledge of the country should come in handy since the Philippines is one of the most important regions in the Human Reform League. Our presence there is the only thing that stops the Union from blockading our nation, since both Japan and Australia are under their control."

Delphine nodded, but frowned as she pointed at the map. "Cebu City is where I'm from, and Fiennes is from Manila. What do you want us to do though?"

"Infiltrate any pro-Union faction you find in the Visayas or Luzon region and get to know them. Basically, you two will work as intelligence agents." Kim handed them new folders. "In addition, there is something that should interest the both of you."

"What would that be?" Leonard asked curiously.

"One of the Union's top mobile suit factory has gone bankrupt, but they suddenly got some financial assistance from a UN diplomat. Apparently he was interested in purchasing one of the prototype units that was supposed to replace the Realdo, but the Flag was chosen instead. Chances are, this thing called the Union Blast may be produced with his help." Kim opened up a photo of the Union Blast. "If we can secure at least one of those units, we can develop a countermeasure towards the Hellions and Realdos."

"We will do our best, sir," Delphine said. She and Leonard saluted and exited from the room.

* * *

><p><strong>CELESTIAL BEING RESOURCE SATELLITE<strong>  
><strong>KRUNG THEP<strong>  
><strong>AD 2306<strong>

Sumeragi was busy reading an encrypted file sent to her from one of the observers as Tieria and Allelujah were chatting about their respective mobile suits. Hixar stood beside Setsuna, hoping to start a conversation with him while Lockon listened to his IPod. As she clicked something on the computer, she saw the picture of the Union Blast, followed by an article about Bell Factory's new investment.

"Alejandro Corner has taken responsibility for saving Bell Factory's financial distress with his investment of $200,000,000 towards the development of a prototype unit that was supposed to be decommissioned after it lost to the Union Flag during a competition to see which unit will succeed the Realdo as the mainstay mobile suit of the Union," Sumeragi read the article. She also saw the picture of Alejandro shaking hands with CEO Jennings while Ribbons Almark stood at the sides. A minute later, Setsuna and Lockon joined her inside the conference room. "Hello, you two."

"Ms. Sumeragi, do you have a mission for us?" Lockon asked curiously. She shook her head, but smiled.

"It appears that the observers have given us a fine gift, even if we may not be able to make it on our own," Sumeragi replied back. She showed them the picture of the Union Blast. "This is a Union Blast, one of the prototypes that competed against the other prototype, the Union Flag. The Flag won the competition to succeed the Blast, forcing Bell Factory to decommission this unit, and subsequently they began to lose money. Two months ago, Alejandro Corner bought 30% of Bell Factory's shares and also purchased the Blast. Likewise, his assistant Ribbons Almark suggested that we take charge of this unit."

Setsuna frowned. "But we already have the Gundams though. Wouldn't a prototype non-GN based Gundam be more of a liability?"

"That is what I thought, but in case we needed to launch an armed intervention without having to resort to our Gundams, the Union Blast is all we need. Of course, there is still the issue of Hixar's final unit because the 0 Gundam's GN Drive has been used by Fereshte." Sumeragi led them out of the room. Across from the hangar, two people stood and watched as a GN Drive was being attached to an older looking Dunam. "Chall Acustica?"

"Sumeragi Lee Noriega." the two women shook hands, but Sumeragi looked at the young man standing beside Chall. "I trust that you've seen Fon Spaak?"

"Yes, and I know the purpose of that explosive necklace," Sumeragi replied back. "I'm not surprised that you don't support Celestial Being's goals and yet VEDA recommended you for our organization.

The crazy looking man called Fon Spaak grinned maliciously. "Sure I don't support the old man's goals but the idea of changing the world through the power of the Gundam..." His expression changed once again. "Is something I really am appealed by."

"You and Allelujah Haptism have something in common," Tieria started to talk as soon as he floated towards them. "Your crazy demeanor."

"Hehehehe." Fon laughed. "Crazy as it sounds, I am just plain excited."

"Then why are you even here? It would have made sense for VEDA to give the 0 Gundam's GN Drive to Hixar Fermi since he was chosen as the fifth Gundam Meister that will eventually join us," Sumeragi told Chall. Hixar arrived a minute later and looked at Fon and Chall. "You're not disappointed that we're taking a second generation Gundam Meister, are you?"

Chall shrugged. "Not at all. In fact, having Hixar as part of the main branch will definitely help him get over Grave's death."

Sumeragi frowned. "Ah yes. Grave Violento was suddenly killed but VEDA forbade me from investigating the cause of his death."

"Just like how VEDA was suddenly hacked in order to allow one Meister to join us who was too young," Hixar himself spoke up. While everyone was shocked at how Hixar spoke his opinion so openly. He looked at Setsuna and nodded. "Ms. Sumeragi, you recall how Setsuna joined Celestial Being, right?"

Lockon answered instead. "Yes, I do remember. He was just too young, but if he was recommended by VEDA, then that is fine with me."

"Getting back to the task at hand," Chall interrupted them. "I do believe that we could simply recycle the Rasiel and build a new Gundam from it. After all, you'll need a unit that can be versatile."

"There's no need, Chall," Hixar told her. Everyone gasped. "I'll stick to the Rasiel. Just attach a GN Particle tank that is large enough for the Rasiel."

"Of course, Hixar." Chall hugged him as tears flew from her eyes. "I'm so glad to see you alive again."

* * *

><p><strong>NOVI SAD, SERBIA<strong>  
><strong>APRIL of AD 2306<strong>

By now, Sergei Smirnov and his subordinates continued to fight the advancing AEU forces while making their stand in Novi Sad while the newer Tierens and older Fantons began to flood the city streets. The Hellions continued to bomb strategic targets while AEU infantry soldiers were machine gunned by both HRL troops and regular Serbian Army soldiers. Novi Sad looked terrible from the sky: buildings that haven't been bombed to the ground were damaged with bullet holes while certain sections of the streets had bomb craters on them. A railroad track that connected Novi Sad to the rest of Serbia was being strafed by incoming AEU Hellions flying from their Hungarian airfields.

"Colonel Smirnov, we've received reports that the AEU has launched an attack from their bases in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria," one of the HRL pilots told Sergei as soon as he landed in the Novi Sad military base so his Tieren could be resupplied. "Here are the targets." He handed him a map marked with the X on the locations where the AEU are most likely to attack.

"Just as I predicted, they'll target Vranje since it's close to the Macedonian border. Can you get me Colonel Pang Hercules, please?" Sergei followed the subordinate into the military base as three HRL soldiers saluted, followed by a man with a beret on his head and a gaunt-looking expression on his face. The gaunt looking man however, wore his regular Serbian Army fatigues. "Colonel Pang?"

"Is that you, Colonel Smirnov?" A bearded man spoke as he appeared on the screen. "Our troops are stuck in Vranje and we need reinforcements."

Sergei sighed. "Same here. Novi Sad is being pounded by AEU forces from Croatia, Hungary and Romania. We're still holding out."

"I see." Pang turned to the gaunt looking man. "What's your name?"

The man saluted. "Major Novak Dukic, 3rd Serbian Army Division, Colonel Pang."

"Of course, your men are still holding out against the AEU. What brought this attack in the first place?" Pang asked Sergei while Novak the gaunt looking man exited from the room where Sergei is holding his conversation.

"One thing in mind: overthrowing a dictator who refused to bow down to their political agenda." Sergei looked back. "So, anything for me?"

"As a matter of fact, there is," Pang answered back. "The HRL Chancellor has decided to send covert aid to the Serbs who are fighting the AEU, and to an extent, they're sending supplies to our garrison."

"OK. I have to get back to the front," Sergei told him. He shot off the comm and ran back towards the Tieren he piloted before. This time, the anti-aircraft pack was attached to the Tieren, along with several missile pods and a smoothbore gun. Once Sergei took off in his Tieren, he aimed the anti-air guns at an approaching Hellion and destroyed it. "There's too many of these guys."

"What do you suggest, sir?" another Tieren pilot asked before the Hellion stabbed him in the chest, causing an explosion.

The Fantons rushed to accompany Sergei's Tieren towards the entrenched position, only to find AEU soldiers and Hellions have already taken the position. Sergei aimed his smoothbore gun at a nearest Hellion Initium, but was only able to damage its arms before the pilot ejected from the damaged machine. Ten additional Tierens came in twenty minutes later to help Sergei and his comrades, accompanied by Fantons in Serbian Army gray colors.

Three hours later, the Tierens began their advance from Novi Sad while moving alongside the Danube River. Sergei by this time had changed from his custom colored Tieren Ground Type into a Tieren High Mobility Type, followed by thirty Armata Russian tanks and twenty Serbian T-90 battle tanks. Inside the cockpit, Sergei looked at the map of the Balkans as he marked the spot with a black felt pen to indicate where they'll attack next.

"Soldiers, our next target is Backa Palanka. That is a very important border town that the AEU has captured, and we need to get it back. From there, we'll be able to strike towards the AEU airfields in the region," Sergei announced to his subordinates. "We're just going to destroy the AEU airfields in Croatia and then we'll make our way towards our comrades in Vranje, for we'll also launch an invasion of Macedonia to make sure that those AEU thugs can't dislodge us from the Balkans. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

When the HRL forces arrived at the outskirts of Backa Palanka, the first thing they did was to launch an artillery barrage using obsolete Grad rocket launchers that came under Serbian Army service. A couple of Tieren Long-Range Cannon Types also arrived to provide the same kind of artillery barrage against the AEU Hellions that were now being surrounded on most sides. Four Hellions were destroyed in the initial attack while the Tieren Long Range Cannon types targeted the hangars that housed the Hellions.

Meanwhile, Rudolf's Hellion squadron continued to fire back against the incoming Tierens. He noticed the airfields that had craters on them and watched as another Hellion was shot down by a Tieren Anti-Aircraft Cannon Type with its missiles. Three AEU IFVs drove closer towards the Tierens with infantry soldiers engaging the newly arrived Serbian Army soldiers, accompanied by five of the twenty T-90 battle tanks.

"Sir, we've got orders to retreat back to Vukovar. AEU High Command has decided to stage an attack from Albania and Bulgaria instead," an AEU pilot told Rudolf. He sighed and nodded.

"All units, retreat! We've finished what we came here to do," he ordered. All of the AEU units spotted a retreat flare signal, causing them to move back. Yet the Tierens continued to follow them. "Damn it! Those bastards are not giving us a chance to pull back!"

The Tierens suddenly stopped firing and pulled back as well. Rudolf spotted several wounded soldiers being loaded into the medic trucks and drove off to the nearest infirmary or field hospital. Meanwhile, Sergei and his subordinates began to move away from Backa Palanka as they began to move southwards.

* * *

><p><strong>ONE YEAR LATER<strong>  
><strong>UNKNOWN LOCATION<strong>  
><strong>A.D. 2307<strong>

Ten black Hellions stood in front of the hangar with a set of boxes beside them as a couple of people made last minute checks on their mobile suits. One of the terrorists moved towards them with a grin on his face while three additional pilots climbed inside their Hellions. It was only a few hours before the AEU's newest model is set to be displayed to the rest of the world at the same time as the HRL's celebration of the anniversary of their orbital elevator's completion.

"Do you have the goods?" One terrorist asked his subordinates.

"Yes, Ken. We're all set," a female subordinate responded.

"Finally, we can crash the party hosted by those HRL bastards," another terrorist replied back. The leader gestured for all of the terrorists to climb inside their Hellions and took off, one by one.

Within the shadows of the abandoned building, a green haired individual walked slowly. Though he is similar to Ribbons in appearance, the only difference is that his hair is quite longer, and like Fon Spaak, he has an insane look on his face. This strange individual grinned maliciously as the last three Hellions took off.

"I gotta say, we couldn't pull off this kind of stunt if it wasn't for you, sir," the terrorist leader told him.

The malicious green haired individual cackled. "Of course. Anything to embarrass your potential rivals is good enough for me." He turned off the comm and laughed once again. "As long as you launch an attack, I will do anything to help Celestial Being's first debut. For my name is Beside Pain and I'm here to bring collective pain towards all of humanity!

* * *

><p>So that ends the two previous arcs that is a set up for the main arc, which is the canon Season One.<p>

Now that we have introduced two more side characters from the 00 side stories. They eventually join Celestial Being in the 00I story, and they're Delphine Bedelia and Leonard Fiennes.

Another character that I want to develop for this story is Andrei, Sergei's son. He only got enough screen time in Season Two and he died rather quickly in the Movie. So a little more detailed story of his life before he joined A-LAWS would become the second feature of this story.


	3. Stage Three: The Opening Stage

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00.

* * *

><p><strong>Stage Three: The Opening Stage<strong>

**AEU ORBITAL ELEVATOR**

**AFRICA**  
><strong>AD 2307<strong>

To say that Graham Aker is a reckless adventurer is just an understatement; his curiosity for the unknown has forced him to travel towards these destinations and learn from it. While he may not have any authorization to travel from the Union to the AEU for the first debut of the AEU-09 Enact, Graham still went on anyways because the sight of the AEU's new mobile suit is something that is a great curiosity towards him.

"Thank you, sir," a ticket booth personnel said as she grabbed Graham's ticket. Graham later joined his friend, a long, brown haired man wearing glasses who sat in the sidelines.

"So the ace of the Union has decided to show up for this performance. Are you sure you're authorized to be here?" Billy Katagiri asked his friend.

Graham chuckled. "Of course not, but all the same I'd like to look at the so-called new AEU model."

"They have the guts to announce the unveiling of their new model at the same time as the HRL's anniversary of its orbital elevator's completion," Billy commented.

In the training grounds, a couple of machine gun fire erupted as a light green mobile suit that looked different to the Hellion fired its plasma rifle at the target. When a couple of bullets approached the newer machine, it used its rod shield to block it as it advanced once again. Finally, the newer machine flipped and continued to shoot at the targets, destroying them all and captivating the audience.

Rudolf Schreiber later sat down beside Billy after the new machine called the Enact finished with its performance. For some odd reason, he looked pleased with himself while Graham moved a bit to give the newcomer his seat. The veteran of the Balkan skirmish gave Graham a nod of recognition, though when the Enact finally landed, Rudolf couldn't help but scoff at the test pilot inside.

"What do you think of the new Enact, Graham?" Billy asked Graham, but it was Rudolf who interrupted them.

"It's almost like the Flag, but with a much wider range in terms of flying time, improved pilot safety and a much more elegant body," he told Billy. "Although did the AEU government had to act like a bunch of imbeciles at a time when we just fought a skirmish against our HRL foes?"

Graham chuckled. "That kinda sums it up. Although the only genuine improvement that the Enact has is pilot safety. Other than that-"

"They ripped off the Flag, that's for sure." Billy and Graham were suddenly interrupted by the pilot who exited from the Enact.

"What did you say, assholes!?" he yelled. "I dare you to say that this new Enact sucks to my face!"

"At least he can hear us, if he is far away," Rudolf chuckled.

Up in the sky, the Exia began its descent into the Earth's surface, causing the officers in the radio control tower to activate their alarm. While no one in the stands was aware of the incoming intruder, Rudolf made contact with the radio control tower.

"Do you have a photo of the newcomer?" he asked.

"Not that we know of," the officer from the radio tower replied back. He turned to his subordinates who worked feverishly to detect the intruder. "Which squadron is it from? We're in the middle of an exercise here."

"It's not showing in our radar, sir."

"Nothing on my watch, either!"

"Get a visual on that thing right now!" the officer leading the radio control personnel barked. When the photo of the Exia showed up, he calmed down. "Just what kind of unit is that?"

One of the personnel asked, "Sir, shall we contact Lieutenant Schreiber and tell him about it?"

"Chances are, he'll already know about it. He's in the stands, taking charge of the guests' security." The radio control officer hesitated. He then called Rudolf back. "Lt. Schreiber, please contact Lt. Coulasaur and warn him about the unknown."

"OK," Rudolf hung up the phone and called Patrick. "Lt. Coulasaur, we got an incoming unknown. Whatever you do, don't engage it."

"An unknown? Why now of all times?" Patrick was startled by the static he heard on the line.

Billy and Grahan kept their gaze on the Exia as it landed into the ground. Billy was the first to respond.

"I didn't know the AEU had another machine that they built."

Graham however, was not convinced. "I don't think that's their unit at all. Moreover, what's with that light?"

The guests in the stands began to leave their seats as Patrick climbed back inside the Enact, with Rudolf leading the way. At the same time, various Hellions stationed in the orbital elevator were being mobilized as their pilots ran towards their units.

"All right, where the hell did you party-crasher came from anyways? The Union or the Human Reform League? You've picked a wrong day and a wrong spot to crash our party. You'll pay the price for interrupting this party of ours, because I'm gonna defeat you," Patrick told the newcomer.

One of the officers grumbled as Patrick readied his weapons. "What the hell is that idiot thinking? Doesn't he realize how much money we've invested in developing that thing?"

"It's a good opportunity for us to raise the value of the Enact. After all, Patrick Coulasaur is our top ace," another officer replied back, but Rudolf snorted. "He could work on his personality though."

"He's only fought in simulations. I've fought a battle, and I barely survived," the German felt embarrassed but paused as he inwardly cheered for whoever is going to defeat Patrick.

Patrick turned to face the Exia. "Do you have any idea who you're messing with? The man who has been undefeated in mock battles, for I'm Patrick Coulasaur! Maybe I'm just that skilled and special." He grabbed his sonic blade. "So don't say I didn't warn you!"

Everyone clutched their ears at the high pitched voice the sonic blade made. Rudolf growled. "Scheisse! Dummkompf!"

"You're going down!" Patrick shouted, unaware that the new model has some surprises.

"Exia, ready for target elimination," Setsuna finally spoke. The Exia used its GN Sword to slice away the Enact's hand that held the sonic blade. The Enact continued to attack, but Setsuna made his predictable response. He first sliced the other hand holding the rifle, then the leg and finally the thigh as the Enact fell into the ground. "Exia, first phase complete. Proceeding to second phase."

The Exia suddenly left the training exercise and made its way into the orbital elevator. Ten minutes later, three Hellion Perpetuums took off from the airfield in pursuit of the Exia. The Hellions opened fire, forcing the Exia to dodge their shots but Setsuna didn't really do much to dodge the low grade shells that was fired from the Hellions' rifles. Setsuna activated its GN Beam Rifle, opened fire and activated its GN Sword to slice a Hellion's hand off. Setsuna noticed several more Hellions flying towards him from the pillar. Down below, an orange Haro notified Lockon about the incoming threat.

"Reinforcements approaching! Reinforcements approaching!" the orange Haro barked.

"Well, even Setsuna will need our help in this situation. Anyways, it's time we make our main debut!" Lockon took aim with a special scope installed into the cockpit.

Meanwhile, the Hellions that joined their comrades managed to pin down the Exia with their potshots before one of them was suddenly shot down. Another Hellion was shot down by a strong, pink beam that was fired from below, and within a few minutes, all but one of the Hellions were shot down. Setsuna used his GN Sword to slice off the last Hellion standing.

"Second phase." Setsuna said before Lockon finished the sentence.

"Has now been complete."

The aftermath of the Enact's complete destruction was truly stunning at the most, with the majority of the repair crews shouting orders for a smaller transport to carry the damaged Enact back into the hangar where they can fix it. Patrick grumbled constantly since walking inside the military headquarters, with Rudolf and a couple of AEU officers following him.

Rudolf led Patrick into a small room that was soundproof so no one could hear what he was about to say. One more AEU officer entered the room, presumably to give the hotheaded 'ace' his 'moral support' should the blunt German AEU officer vent his rage at him. Needless to say, Rudolf was not amused at all.

"You took on a new machine without realizing the danger you've put yourself into," Rudolf began. Patrick gulped as he shivered nervously. "Second Lieutenant Coulasaur, if your new Enact did not have the improved pilot safety measures or if the new mobile suit did not slice to kill, you would have been dead and we would have to find a new simulation ace to do your job for you."

The AEU officer pattd Rudolf in the chest. "Calm down, Lt. Schreiber. With the Enact's performance in live combat, its value would go up. We might even make one for you though, with some modification that you would like to see."

"It's always the man who flies the crate, Second Lieutenant Peterson. Of course, your arrogance is something we cannot tolerate any longer. I will send my report to my superiors in Berlin and I'll wait and see if they will respond." Rudolf opened the door, saluted to the two men and left.

* * *

><p><strong>HUMAN REFORM LEAGUE<strong>

**ORBITAL ELEVATOR INTERNATIONALE**  
><strong>AD 2307<strong>

It has been a year since the conflict in the Balkans had forced the Human Reform League to bolster its support for the anti-AEU regime centered in Belgrade that Sergei had moved through the missions he has done. From training new recruits to putting down revolts throughout the HRL's territories, the Wild Bear of Russia has gained enough experience to shape the outlook on his life. Yet a part of him has experienced disappointment and anguish, for his only son Andrei had consistently refused any help from him when he too, joined the HRL military, and accomplished his required training without anyone else's help.

Today, Sergei was alongside many other HRL officers who attended the party that was thrown by their own government to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Internationale's completion and there were so many civilian guests who also showed up. Waiters and servers floated towards the various guests who requested any kind of food they wished to eat, while music was being played in the background. They are apparently unaware of the danger that is approaching them.

"Colonel Smirnov," Lt. Ming said as he floated towards him and saluted. "The Tieren Space Types are on standby in case they need to intervene against any terrorist attack."

"Standby? Are we expecting any attacks today?" Sergei asked back.

Ming shrugged, but continued to speak. "The AEU is also announcing that they are going to unveil their latest model, dubbed as the Enact."

"Why am I not surprised? The AEU must be sore from what happened in Serbia, and this is the way they'll get back at us," Sergei replied back with a bitter tone.

Hundreds of kilometers away from the Internationale, a single warship moved a little bit as the containers rotated in a clockwise direction. A blue colored Gundam was loaded into the catapult, and few minutes later, the catapult bay doors opened. That Gundam took off and moved towards the Earth's surface as its pilot pressed some buttons and continued the descent. At the same time, Hixar joined the Ptolemaios's crew at the bridge as he sat down on a chair overlooking the weapons systems.

"VEDA said that it didn't need me today," Hixar told Sumeragi as soon as she entered the bridge. "Only four Gundams are required for today, but it said that I'll make my debut soon."

"I sure hope so, because we don't know what the Rasiel is capable of." Sumeragi looked at the screen. "Exia, Dynames. Do you both copy?"

Setsuna F. Seiei answered first. "We acknowledge."

"Phase One is now underway. Do not forget the mission plan," Sumeragi lectured the young Meister.

"Roger that," Setsuna replied back and turned off his comm.

"He sure does take the missions rather seriously," Hixar said jovially as he and Feldt continued to work with Sumeragi. "Dynames is positioned on Earth already. Let's get this show on the road."

As soon as the Ptolemaios moved towards their intended destination, the container opened once again. This time, a Gundam painted in orange moved towards the catapult, but it's in mobile armor mode.

"A real battle, just like what you wanted, Hallelujah." Allelujah put on his helmet. "But this is so depressing."

Feldt Grace responded. "Kyrios on catapult deck. Increasing linear catapult range from 220 to 520. Kyrios, stabilized linear field. Launch preparations complete."

"Roger. I have control." The Kyrios paused for a minute. "Kyrios, now commencing operation."

The Kyrios took off from the Ptolemaios and was followed by the Virtue five minutes later. Allelujah and Tieria continued their journey as they made their way towards the orbital elevator, while at the same time the terrorists who flew in the black Hellions flew from the opposite direction towards the same destination.

Inside the HRL's observation post that was adjacent to the orbital elevator, the personnel inside kept track of the debris that has fallen through the golden disks which soon bounced off. Unbeknownst to them, the Hellions that carried the black box was fast approaching.

"We've been getting readings of debris falling into our geo-orbital station lately," one HRL personnel commented. He spotted something different about the 'debris' and enlarged the picture. "I can't believe this! Incoming Hellions, unknown origin!"

"They look like mobile suits!" the HRL officer commented before one of the Hellions exploded. "Give the order to scramble!"

Alarms rang out while the low ranked pilots started to move from wherever they stayed towards the hangar. Sergei also moved from the ceremony room and towards the hangar where several Tieren Space Types were being mobilized. A couple of pilots have climbed inside after putting on their pilot suits, but only three Tierens launched from the geo-orbital station.

"They're using Hellions!?" Sergei grumbled. "Damn the AEU! They're desperate to sell those things to tinpot nations!"

"Sir, we sold half of our Fantons to our allies too," Lt. Ming commented, but Sergei sighed.

"At least those Fantons or Anfs as they call them are not being used to attack us," he spoke back. As soon as they arrived at the hangar, Sergei and Lt. Ming have already put on their space suits and climbed inside their Tierens.

While the three Tierens moved towards the terrorists, their Hellions kept on hiding behind the structure, making it harder for them to locate and destroy. As soon as the Tierens spotted the Hellions, they opened fire on them, but they dodged the shot. It was at this moment that the black box opened up to reveal homing missiles, which was fired almost immediately. Just as the missiles were about to hit their targets, a couple of pink beams burst out of nowhere to destroy the missiles.

"We've come under attack! Mr. Pain, we can't hit our target!" the terrorist leader spoke to Beside, but for the same reason as earlier in the AEU orbital elevator, he couldn't get through because of the particles that jammed the communications. "I can't get through! Oh well, time to go down!"

The terrorist leader continued to move forward towards the structure itself, but a bulky looking mobile suit intervened. The jamming also happened to the HRL's geo-orbital station as the personnel couldn't keep track of the situation happening out in the open. The bulky mobile suit aimed its cannons towards the terrorist leader piloting the Hellion.

"Crap, I won't be able to dodge it!" the terrorist gritted his teeth and screamed as the power of the Virtue's GN Bazooka evaporated him. "Ahh!"

"Don't you think that was a bit too excessive?" Allelujah flew away from the orbital elevator as soon as the Kyrios and Virtue retreated from the battlefield.

The three Tierens soon returned to the geo-orbital station after the two mysterious mobile suits left the battlefield as their pilots briefly exited from the cockpit. Sergei and Lt. Ming spotted the three pilots who confronted the terrorists and all of them saluted to each other.

"How was it?" Sergei asked the three pilots.

"Sir, we didn't really do anything because those two unknown machines appeared out of nowhere," one of the pilots admitted. "However, we couldn't contact our leaders over the comm because of the jamming."

Lt. Ming looked down. "It was probably the same with the terrorists carrying the Hellions. Can't say I know where they come from because Hellions are being sold like candy these days."

"That is true, but something tells me this is just the beginning," Sergei replied back, knowing that the ordeals with the new machines won't be something they'll forget in the distant future.

* * *

><p><strong>CELESTIAL BEING RESOURCE SATELLITE<strong>  
><strong>KRUNG THEP<strong>  
><strong>A.D. 2307<strong>

All of Fereshte's members watched the first armed intervention that the main branch of Celestial Being had unfolded on the screen, with Aeolia Schenberg's speech being broadcasted soon after the interventions were complete. The room in which Fereshte held their conference was smaller than most of the rooms, but it was enough for only ten people. Fon Spaak sat on top of a bar with two heavy metallic objects clamped on his wrists while a mature looking man watched with jealousy at the sight of the Gundams.

"Celestial Being has made its move, Echo Calore. You would do well to understand what is happening," Chall told Echo after he grumbled at how he wasn't chosen to pilot a Gundam. "Fereshte's fate is tied to Celestial Being's Gundam Meisters."

"Well the honor of this mission requires me to-" Echo was interrupted by Fon's derisive laugh. "What's with that laugh, asshole!?"

"You're not gonna understand the entire purpose of Celestial Being just by watching the old man's speech at all. What could you possibly understand from this at all?" Fon asked snidely.

"Understanding Celestial Being's purpose is important!" Echo grew irritated at Fon's apparent lack of understanding for his interest. "As if a convicted felon truly appreciates what Old Man Aeolia is talking about."

Fon chuckled. "You really are stupid, jackass. Mere ideals cannot change the world overnight."

"Fon Spaak, if you please," Chall said. Fon moved towards the large keyboard and began to explain.

"Targeting the AEU's new model the Enact was Celestial Being's first mission, which was to also leave an impression of the Gundam on the entire world after it defeated the Enact. The Enact is able to get its energy from the sun, and although it's based on the Union's design, much of its parts was given the overhaul it needed to perform better." Fon uploaded a few more pictures of the Hellions intervening, as well as the Tierens' attempted attack on the terrorists. "Meanwhile, the Exia has managed to expose the AEU's undeclared fighting strength to the entire world, also revealing how they violated the treaty limitations on how many units they are actually allowed to station inside the pillar. The higher ups must have been impatient and decided to display the Enact as a show of force to compensate for the incompletion of their orbital elevator. The second mission also demonstrates that Celestial Being also engages in stopping plain immoral attacks on innocent civilians. However, those terrorists spent a huge fortune on their mobile suits that they could only spend what's left of their budget towards purchasing half of the missiles that they can acquire with that amount of money. Even the HRL guys could handle them with ease."

"Well, even if that is true, at least everyone can see the strength of the Gundams," Echo insisted. Fon however, was unimpressed.

"Perhaps, but it was a good introduction to the world," Fon replied back.

Chall narrowed her eyes as she gazed towards Fon. "Well, given your dubious background, I can guess that you don't support Aeolia's purpose."

"Not per se, but the idea of changing the world through the Gundams must have appealed to me a lot," Fon cackled. He turned around and sat on the keyboard. "Just what kind of world I'm going to change and what results will come out of this will be a lot of fun. The only thing that I care about is, how my strength will be channeled through the Gundam."

"That may be so, but Hixar is more qualified to be a Gundam Meister than you will ever be," Echo said defiantly. "I mean, even he's chosen instead of me, and that guy doesn't have a functioning Gundam."

"In that case, as long as you're a Gundam Meister, we'll rely on your strength. Meanwhile, Hixar is stuck with the Rasiel," Chall told Fon. "I hate to give Sumeragi extra burden, but she can manage with a fifth Gundam Meister."

Chall went out of Fereshte's conference room and returned to her own quarters. She entered new data into the computer and waited for it to save before a new message popped up in her screen. After she read the contents of the message, she exited from her room and grabbed on a bar as she made her way into the hangar. A red Gundam stood at the hangar with the 0 Gundam's GN Drive attached to its back.

"New mission from VEDA: attack the HRL troops in the CS34 area." Chall stood as Echo floated towards her from the Astrea.

"Did the HRL detect Celestial Being's base?" Echo asked, but Fon snorted.

"Dumbass, it's the opposite. It's about raising hell in places that don't have connections to the organization whatsoever," Fon replied back.

Chall turned to Fon. "Fon Spaak! You'll sortie in the Gundam Astrea. In addition, you are to support Hixar Fermi in the Rasiel."

"Are you sure about that? Why the Astrea when I can go in the Plutone?" Fon replied back. Chall gasped when he mentioned the Gundam Plutone. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she recalled the memory of what had happened in the Plutone.

Memories of her last moments with Ruido Reasonance and Marlene Vlady flashed before her eyes, with the most vivid recollection being the Plutone's Core Fighter inability to escape from its unit, and Chall's own near experience with death. Another memory surfaced inside her own mind, this time the aftermath of Ruido and Marlene's deaths as she cried after looking at her mangled appearance.

It was fear of seeing Fon's death occur from the Plutone that made her hesitate. She shook her head and blocked his way.

"That unit is restricted and can't be used." Chall was startled as Fon came up closer towards her.

"Chall Acustica, that Plutone seems to have a strong connection with you. Are you frightened and filled with hate towards that Gundam? The machine that gave you those fears?" Fon fondled her cheek. He turned to a Haro with cat tails and whiskers. "Hanayo, confirm it with VEDA that I'll sortie in the Plutone!"

"Confirm! Confirm!" the cat-like Haro chirped.

Fon moved towards another hangar where the Plutone was stored. "Don't worry about me: I'll change your view about the Plutone. Why not give this unit to that jovial looking weirdo instead of the Rasiel?"

"VEDA might change its mind at any given notice, Fon!" Chall shouted, but Fon was already on the Plutone's hangar.

"Fereshte pilot, Fon Spaak." Fon waited until the cat-like Haro released the handcuffs and messed up his hair. As soon as the Plutone moved towards the edge of the base, it took off.

* * *

><p><strong>SUBIC BAY, REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES <strong>  
><strong>AD 2307<strong>

_I can't find decent company here,_ Enrique Alvarez mused to himself. A Bicolano from Albay Province, he was noticeably short with five feet and three inches, barely two inches for the minimun height requirement. If you show special skill, however, they might pass on that. The problem is, Ensign Alvarez is just an average pilot for the Human Reform League Army.

As his nation had undergone several coups and counter coups that saw pro-Union and pro-League military juntas come to power, with the recent coup that resulted in the pro-League junta led by a former HRL foreign volunteer, recruits from the Philippines are suspect. Many of them are still used to Union tactics and demeanor, in which their Chinese and Russian instructors are trying to change. The fact is that despite they are supposed to use English, being the global language, the language barrier is still thick. There had been fist-fights between ethnically Russian and Filipino troops, as well as the Chinese ones. Alvarez at least tried to learn Russian, but all he could manage is "da", "nyet", and a few other words that a first-time tourist would use. As for Chinese, he decided to give up trying to learn that language.

And of course, being relatively young, of nineteen years of age, he still manage to attract women. The problem is, the short time he could woo women is also the short time he could be dumped by women. And so far, he's failing, hard. The last time he had a female company is a mestiza-looking redhead who is also an HRL pilot. Her height did not discouraged him, nor her age. In fact, it was advantageous to him, he thought.

Unfortunately, she was re-assigned with a blonde boy who treats him like crap, a Manila guy, he thought. He wondered if Delphine made it alive and hoped she would and leave the poor guy alone.

He managed to pull his jeep to a mall, one of the most upscale in Subic. Male HRL soldiers are usually frequenting this area, and unfortunately, there are incidents in which they are usually hard to avoid. The police are being angry at the foreigners visiting their area. Besides, some of them, especially the older officers, still harbor pro-Union symphaties in which the HRL security services are trying to stamp out.

He was drinking a glass of soda when he noticed two women, definitely not Filipino, sitting on another chair and bantering like Kris Aquino, a noted 21st century actress, talk show host, and politician. One of them could be a K-pop actress, wearing a loose shirt with her midriff exposed, complete with piercings. Her brown hair is cut in an angular fashion, and it's bright.

The second one, he noticed, is somewhat Eurasian in appearance, though she could fit in as a Mexican actress or something. She had auburn wavy hair with glasses. She's somewhat mean in appearance, from what he observed.

_I think I'll pick the one with the glasses,_ Enrique thought. She had a nice rack, with nice clothing similar to the Korean actress, or just whoever it was.

Then it occured to him. These two foreigners don't just wander around in this Philippine city. It mean they are probably HRL soldiers, or Union or AEU spies. Well, considering his "find", he decides to find out by approaching them.

Meanwhile, Chang Hye-in and Alisa Kujo are arguing about who has the better score in Mobile Suit shooting test.

"It's been three centuries since eye surgery was invented and yet you can't hit a damn thing!" Hye-in argued.

"So? Your looks may be good, but I have better piloting skills!" Alisa hit back.

"Ah, so you are insulting my awesome skills, huh?" Hye-in mocked her partner with glasses.

"Hey, there girls!" a young man shouted in English. "I think you must be from-" Hye-in cut him off.

"How did you find out we're HRL pilots?"

"I listened to your conversation," Enrique nonchalantly said.

"So you are spying?" Alisa protested.

"No. Actually, I am an HRL pilot as well. By the way, my name is Ensign Enrique Alvarez, from the 88th Independent Mobile Suit Regiment."

"Hey," Hye-in said, "is he from our same unit?"

"I think so," Kujo said. She continued to eye him suspiciously. "By the way, Ensign Alvarez, what's the name of the commander?"

"Colonel Kim Hyang-chol," Enrique said matter of factly.

"Oh, I see." Alisa adjusted her glasses. "I rarely see you."

"I'm actually new. By the way, they have sent a different model of the Tieren, called the High-Mobility Type," Enrique then said. "I prefer that one to the vanilla version."

Alisa said, "Who cares about this new Tieren model? Hye-in must pilot it, because it will last for ten seconds in a real battle."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hye-in bursted. She tries to charge Alisa, but the latter's reflexes are quicker, then she was grabbed by Alisa by the collar.

"Ah," Alisa quipped dryly. "So that's why you're no longer a K-pop idol. Possibly, you also posted pictures of yourself in the Net-"

"OH! Really?" Hye-in then frees herself from Alisa and tried to punch her. Enrique then put himself between the two.

"Oh, please, stop that. After all we're members of the HRL," Enrique pleaded to both. Hye-in and Alisa calmed themselves down.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Alisa then picked up her glasses, miraculously not broken in the floor. "At least you are the nice Filipino guy they portray in the media, not the low-lifes I see here!"

"Come on, madame, I am somewhat of a bit of a loser, too!" Enrique cheerfully protested.

"That would be fine," Hye-in said. "By the way, I am Ensign Chang Hye-in, 88th Independent Mobile Suit Regiment!"

Alisa then stood herself. "I amd Ensign Alisa Kujo of the 88th Independent Mobile Suit Regiment!"

"OK! Where do you both want to go?" Enrique asked.

"Oh, we want you to join us for the night," Alisa said. "Assuming that you don't act like a complete pervert."

"Yeah, same for me," Hye-in replied. "Try anything funny and we'll castrate you."

_YES!_ Enrique cheered in his mind. It's like hitting the bulls-eye in darts. He gulped however, when Hye-In made the castration threat.

* * *

><p><strong>HUMAN REFORM LEAGUE CAPITAL CITY<strong>  
><strong>NANJING, CHINA<strong>  
><strong>AD 2307<strong>

Chancellor Zhao looked pretty young and wise for an unusual age of fifty three, even if some critics derided his leadership abilities in times of war or peace. As the sole leader of the entire Human Reform League, he had the burden of more than just the three great powers which anchored the entire League together: Russia, China and India. He also carried the responsibility of managing the affairs of minor member states that are also a part of the Human Reform League, and he also had to worry about diplomatic relationship with non-aligned nations and the other two superpowers.

Since Aeolia Schenberg's speech that was broadcasted across the world, many of its global citizens learned of Celestial Being's purpose, which was to intervene whenever there's conflict. Suffice to say, all of the world's leaders are less amused and more irritated by the bold declaration that all forms of conflict will be eliminated. After Zhao heard the broadcast once again, he shut it off as two aides arrived and waited for him to begin.

"Are they the ones who stopped the terrorist attack on Heaven's Pillar?" Zhao asked the aides.

"Yes, sir. Take a look at this photo." The aide uploaded the picture of the Virtue with its GN Bazooka. "In his statements, Celestial Being claims to possess these mobile weapons called Gundams. This photo here is an example of one of these Gundam things."

"Gundam...if we could capture one of these weapons, we can gain an edge over the Union and the AEU. Given the AEU's hostile actions towards us, I wouldn't be surprised if they or the Union came to the same conclusion." Zhao closed the link of the photo. "Get me President Milyukov on the line."

"Yes, sir," the receptionist responded from the other side of the line.

Zhao looked at the map of the Human Reform League and traced his fingers between the top side and the bottom side. He looked at the part of the map where SE Asia is located and with a pencil on his hand, he made several marks on the map. Five minutes later, the receptionist notified him that the Russian President is waiting to talk to him.

"Thanks." He picked up the phone and began to talk. "President Milyukov, we may have a problem."

"You're telling me. I don't know how much trouble could we tolerate, especially after the world caught the AEU with its units stationed in the pillar. I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that you wanted to get your hands on the machines that stopped the terrorist attacks on Heaven's Pillar. I am especially interested in seeing that mobile suit responsible for humiliating that new model. What was it?" Milyukov mused. "Oh yes, the new AEU-09 Enact."

"Do you think Celestial Being will intervene in the Balkans?" Zhao asked back.

Milyukov nodded from his end of the line. "They might. Serbia is to the AEU what Taribia is to the Union and the Philippines is to us: a potential troublesome hot spot. However, we have a reliable ally in the Philippine junta who can keep his people in check, and he's rather efficient in his counter-insurgency."

"That is why I must give you a heads up: do you think you can get your GRU agents to stir things up in say, Bulgaria? We got elements of the Bulgarian government that are interested in following the Serbian scenario, but they don't want to join the HRL," Zhao spoke once again. Just outside the chancellor's office, three men waited in front of the door while two HRL sentries stood at attention. "We'll speak of this some other time. The Serbian ambassador has just arrived."

"Of course. I will consider your proposal for Bulgaria. It's got to do with more than just oil and gas, you know." Both Milyukov and Zhao disconnected their communication. He beckoned for the sentries to allow the ambassador to enter into his office. They shook hands before Zhao sat down in his chair. "Thank you for coming all the way here to meet with us."

The Serbian ambassador nodded. His gaunt looking face had clearly made an impression on the Chancellor. "We've come a long way here, and we simply request for your government to continue protecting our nation. Unless we can free ourselves from being encircled by AEU member states, we cannot exercise our sovereignty."

"That might be a problem. Yesterday, Celestial Being has made its presence to the world and their promise to carry out armed intervention is something we all worry about. Your nation might be one of Celestial Being's targets for intervention, so I am simply telling you that you should convince your government to keep a vigilant eye on the borders with the AEU. You can still purchase our Tierens and Fantons in addition to the old Hellions and Realdos, but do not under any circumstances, allow instability to wreck our progress in the region. Do you understand?" Zhao could tell just how nervous the ambassador looked as he meekly nodded without a second though. "Just rest up for now, and in a couple of days you can get back to your work."

"Thank you very much." Zhao watched the Serbian ambassador leave the office. He grabbed the phone once again and dialed.

"Get me Heaven's Pillar. I wish to speak to Colonel Smirnov."

* * *

><p><strong>HUMAN REFORM LEAGUE MILITARY BASE<strong>  
><strong>SUBIC BAY, REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES <strong>  
><strong>AD 2307<strong>

Like all military bases in the Human Reform League, the Subic Bay naval base was bustling with mobile suits, tanks, warships and personnel. However, the main difference between the Subic Bay military base and the rest of the HRL military bases scattered in its territory was that there are more warships anchored in a country of 7,107 islands than there are in the entire HRL. It's not just Subic Bay that is littered with HRL ships; ports like Laoag, Lingayen, Manila, Cebu, Zamboanga, Tacloban, Surigao and Palawan have built a series of harbors and ports that cater to both military and civilian ships.

As an important part of the Human Reform League, the Philippines serves as its most important military base in its territory because of its position between two Union members: Japan and Australia. In its history throughout the Solar Wars, this piece of territory became the battleground for both the HRL and the Union, and vicious conflicts have arisen from this geopolitical tussle over its valuable resources and its population. In addition, the HRL could easily dispatch forces from the Philippines to protect the Internationale due to its proximity.

Within the Subic Bay naval base, various barracks were built just outside the city's civilian centers while its outskirts have been covered with trees, making it a valuable and ideal place to conduct training exercises for its infantry. It is also a good place to build a guerrilla hideout for anti-HRL factions who have for a long time, fought against the pro-HRL military junta that struggled to maintain their grip on the government.

Inside the barracks, a brown haired young man finished dressing up for his daily routine while being accompanied by several of his friends. Though he may look ordinary in the eyes of fellow soldiers, he is certainly no ordinary soldier. As the son of the Wild Bear of Russia, Andrei Smirnov had a lot of work to do when he first joined the military, as he preferred to finish his training on his own without anyone's help, partly because he didn't want to use his father's position to advance.

"Yo, Andrei!" a black haired boy approached him. The newcomer looked rather different from the other HRL soldiers, as he was unusually shorter than him. "It's all over the news."

"What's all over the news, Ensign Alvarez?" Andrei asked.

"Celestial Being's intervention in the Internationale," Ensign Enrique Alvarez replied back. He spotted two more soldiers arriving at the barracks, waiting for them to come out. "We're out now."

"I haven't seen Lt. Bedelia in a while now. Have you heard from her yet, Andrei?" Enrique asked back. They paused to salute to Colonel Kim who approached them. "Sir, we're ready for our daily patrols in the countryside."

"No need for that, Ensign Alvarez." Kim turned to Andrei. "Ensign Smirnov, I know that you don't want to talk to your father, but he just relayed a message to you through me. He just wants to know how you're doing."

Andrei frowned. "I'll be fine, Colonel. I'm not on speaking terms with my dad."

"It's quite ironic that you joined the military, and at the same time you didn't like the military because of what happened to your mother," Kim whispered to his ear as to make sure that none of the other HRL soldiers heard him speak. "In that case, you will be on leave for a week after today. Spend it wisely, because you'll be on active duty once you get back here."

"Yes, sir." Andrei saluted back to Kim as he left. He turned to Enrique and the two female HRL soldiers that arrived. "So what happened yesterday?"

"The terrorists who attacked Heaven's Pillar were destroyed by Celestial Being! It's like they just appeared out of nowhere!" Enrique said excitedly. He spotted two local women and tried to flirt with them, but they walked away. "C'mon!"

"Just calm down and don't get your hopes up. You can find better girls who like you for your uniform in the mainland than in here." Andrei patted him in the back, but the Filipino soldier frowned.

"I grew up here, _Kuya_." Enrique used the honorific term to describe someone who is older than him. "My mama wants me to stay here though, but my dad..."

Andrei smiled and turned to the two female HRL soldiers. "You two seem to be early."

One of the female HRL soldiers smiled at her male counterparts while her friend gazed at the mobile suits that were parked in the hangars. The first female soldier's most distinguished feature was her silky black hair with a hime cut and a face that looked like a doll. For someone who possessed a rare beauty, Hye-In Chang was rather smart. As a mobile suit pilot and a former teen actress, this Korean soldier had graduated and inducted into the HRL military around the same time as Andrei and Enrique, but she has a hidden past that she didn't want to talk about.

The second girl on the other hand, looked much paler than Hye-In. Her intimidating gaze was something that no one wanted to look, but her most important feature was the pair of eyeglasses she wore. Her oval shaped eyeglasses made her look like a typical female nerd, but it didn't mean that she was not active. Far from having a position as a communications officer, Alisa Kujo can also be capable of fighting close quarters. Her auburn hair and chest size was a source of annoyance for her as her male colleagues often teased her about why she hasn't dated one of them yet.

"Ensign Chang, Ensign Kujo, don't you two have something to do?" Andrei asked his female colleagues.

Alisa smirked. "HQ hasn't assigned us any positions yet, and I'm supposed to be stationed on the newest warship they're bringing in from the mainland."

"What would that be?" Enrique asked back. He smirked shortly before Hye-In elbowed him. "Ow!"

"That isn't something you should know!" Hye-In hissed at him. Andrei nodded in agreement.

"We should be grateful for our-" the alarm rang out as soldiers and pilots scrambled to climb inside their tanks and Tierens. Andrei, Hye-In and Enrique rushed back to their respective barracks to change into their pilot suits and rushed back out thirty minutes later. Andrei climbed inside a custom equipped Tieren High Mobility Type B, equipped with a smoothbore gun and a carbon blade. Two bazookas were mounted on each of the Tieren High Mobility Type B's shoulders, and its location allowed the pilot to grab them. "Are we ready yet?"

"Who's attacking us?" Enrique climbed inside his own Tieren unit, which happened to be an Anti-Aircraft Cannon Type. "Andrei?"

"Anti-League factions must be attacking us." Andrei spotted three Realdos moving towards the military base, forcing Enrique to open fire with his anti-aircraft cannons. "Where's Colonel Kim?"

"I'm here, Ensign." Kim approached the group with his own Tieren that is just like Andrei's own High Mobility Type B. "Terrorists must be hiding somewhere along the Pamulaklakin River."

Enrique fired a burst of anti-air gunfire a second time as another squadron of Realdos opened fire and launched its missiles. Andrei on the other hand, spotted four Realdo Tanks moving towards them as they fired their shells towards them. The shells landed close to the road, forcing the Tierens and the tanks to engage the Realdos that are airborne, as well as the ones on the ground. Just as Andrei was about to aim his smoothbore gun towards the realdo, a pink beam erupted from the sky, destroying the Tieren's arm holding the gun and a second burst destroyed Kim's Tieren in the leg.

"What was that?" Andrei asked. Sure enough, a white mobile suit descended into the ground with its beam rifle in its hand. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Hold on a sec: I think you're right," Hye-In told Andrei. She pointed at the Gundam head. "The face is visible."

"It doesn't matter. If it's a Gundam, then we have a good chance of capturing it," Kim told his subordinates. "Take out that unit at once!"

All of the Tierens began to open fire with the available weapons they have towards the Plutone as Fon fired the beam rifle at Kim's Tieren before he quickly pulled out of his damaged machine and rolled out of the way as the damaged Tieren exploded. Andrei and Enrique kept on firing at the Plutone, but Fon put away his beam rifle, grabbed a pair of beam sabers and hacked their hands off. When Hye In's Tieren High Mobility remained standing, Fon simply threw the beam saber towards her, hitting the shoulders and forcing her to get off the machine as well.

"HRL troops taken out of commission, proceeding to eliminate witnesses." Fon watched as the Realdos fired their sonic rifles at him. "Damn, these guys must be good! They're practically fighting better than most terrorists."

"Look at that!" Enrique pointed at a Realdo that was shot by the Plutone's beam rifle. He gasped in shock as the Plutone pointed the beam rifle at him next before he and Andrei fired a couple salvos of anti-air missiles.

Fon dodged the shots and fired his beam rifle once again, destroying three Realdos before turning his attention towards the Realdo Tanks, just in time to use his GN Vulcans to destroy the Tieren Anti-Aircraft Cannon Type's anti-air missiles. He gave another burst from the GN Vulcan at the incoming Realdo and stabbed the Realdo Tank with its beam sabers. As soon as the last Realdo was destroyed, the Plutone began to move away from the jungle and retreated.

* * *

><p>So Fon's actual mission that was mentioned in Gundam 00F Chapter One has now been expanded here and I think we'll see more from this guy.<p>

Well, 'till then.


	4. Stage Four: Bonds that Form

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00.

* * *

><p><strong>Stage Four: Bonds that Form<strong>

**HUMAN REFORM LEAGUE MILITARY BASE**  
><strong>SUBIC BAY, REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES<strong>  
><strong>AD 2307<strong>

Subic Bay after Celestial Being's intervention had resembled a warzone, with damaged mobile suits littered throughout the streets and wounded pilots being escorted into the ambulance. Andrei and his squadmates were among the lucky ones who managed to survive the ordeal, though Hye-In looked a bit depressed. After she got out of her mobile suit, she frantically looked for Alisa and Enrique to see if they are still alive, to which she was relieved when she saw them. Enrique was lucky to escape with a bruised ego, but Andrei felt uncomfortable.

They sat down in the mess hall three hours after the last damaged Tieren was brought back from the outskirts of the naval base, but no one was making so much noise. Celestial Being's intention to intervene during any conflict became the hot topic that all of the grunt soldiers talked about. As soon as Alisa joined her friends in their table, Hye-In sighed as she began to eat.

"What's the matter with her?" Enrique asked Alisa, pointing at Hye-In. Hye-In herself answered.

"I'm being transferred to Ceylon for two weeks because my father was scared when he heard that Celestial Being attacked us here," Hye-In replied back bitterly. "I don't know when I'll be back, but I sure hope that Colonel Kim would keep us together."

Andrei nodded. "I will be on leave for a week, according to Colonel Kim. It's a good thing too."

"Yeah. Speaking of which, the paparazzi were parked outside the base though. Did you do anything to trigger their pursuit again, Hye-In?" Alisa asked her friend. Hye-In shook her head. "Need I remind you of the last time you attracted the paparazzi into our base: we got in so much trouble that Colonel Kim took away our down time and made us reorganize all the old files that our officers kept in the storage."

Hye-In glared back at her. "Oh, don't blame me. Enrique here." She turned her glare at a frightened Enrique. "Was being an obnoxious loudmouth when he screamed with 'excitement' about my role in the soaps he was watching. He's also pestering me about the new songs he came up with for my new album, even though I didn't want to sing anymore."

"Hey, I just like your voice because it's kinda attractive." Hye-In blushed before she elbowed him.

"They were more interested in Andrei's fling with a JNN reporter though," Alisa replied back as Andrei opened his mouth. Hye-In looked at him reproachfully as she stopped shaking Enrique. "Kinue Crossroad's been busy with the coverage on Celestial Being."

Andrei groaned. "I wished you didn't have to mention that, Alisa. Kinue and I are just friends."

"Friends...right." Hye-In smirked. She swallowed her meal and smirked. "I was with you the last time we flew over to Tokyo. You acted like a complete wreck when she was interviewing you."

"Uhh...I didn't forget that the Korean media was also in Tokyo," Andrei replied back. Alisa and Enrique grinned. "It's not something anyone would gladly talk about."

"Yeah, and Alisa was laughing her ass off when I told her about what happened in Tokyo." Hye-In was about to continue when Colonel Kim went over to their table. All of the soldiers saluted and Kim replied in kind. "Colonel."

"Ensign Chang, and Ensign Smirnov. Your travel itineraries are with me." Kim handed two envelopes to them. Enrique frowned, but Kim patted him in the back. "You're also going to Ceylon with Ensign Chang."

Enrique received a third envelope containing his travel itinerary. "Thank you, Colonel." Hye-In groaned inwardly.

"Well, Colonel Smirnov requested for soldiers who have experience in dealing with the Gundams. You two have been chosen, as your friend here." Kim pointed at Andrei. "Is going on vacation for a week. I will assume that you're heading back to your home in Vladivostok?"

"Nope, I'm staying in Tokyo," Andrei answered.

"Just don't stay too long in Tokyo. Union officers will be on the lookout for spies, and God save all of us if you got caught in the process." Kim turned around and left. Andrei and Hye-In placed the tray back in the shelf and walked out of the mess hall with Enrique and Alisa following them.

The barracks where they stayed was segregated into the male and female section, with the male section on one end of the base and the female section on the other end. Andrei and Enrique arrived at their quarters and approached their lockers as other HRL soldiers moved towards them and waited for them to finish.

"You two must be lucky to survive those monsters," a Thai HRL grunt spoke first.

"Yeah, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere near them," the Chinese HRL grunt added.

Andrei turned to face his uninvited guests. "Do you all have something to do, or do I need to report to Colonel Kim that you're all just lounging around the barracks?"

The Thai HRL grunt raised his hands. "We have something to do, but the mechanics won't let us help fix our own machines."

"Figures, and I'll get the same response from them." Enrique stared at the bunk bed across from his own.

"What are you looking at?" the Chinese HRL grunt asked Enrique. "You interested in taking my bed?"

"I'm just spacing out, Ensign Chen," Enrique replied back. He finished packing his belongings and sat down in his bunk bed. "Anyways, I'll go with Ensign Chang to Ceylon for just a week and then we'll come back here."

The Chinese HRL grunt grinned as he placed his arm around Enrique's shoulder. "We're just messing with you, even though you look like one of those loser type guys who can't get laid. You must be desperate enough to ask the famous Hye-In Chang for a date, because she's pissed at you."

"Yeah, I'm still working on that," Enrique said sadly. A minute later, he and Andrei walked out of their barracks while looking around the entire military base. In a football field, several off duty HRL soldiers were having their game while spectators cheered for whichever side they rooted for.

By the time both soldiers arrived at the gate, Colonel Kim, Alisa and Hye-In were waiting for them. Andrei noticed that Alisa had carried a luggage while Hye-In was only carrying a duffel bag and a suitcase. He then looked at his own luggage and gazed at Enrique's seabag.

"Is everyone here?" everyone nodded. "Well, HQ has decided to send Ensign Chang and Ensign Alvarez to Ceylon while Ensign Smirnov and Ensign Kujo will be on leave for a week."

"I didn't know you're going with me, Alisa," Andrei told her. Alisa shrugged and smiled.

"I wanted to see if big sister Lisa will come by and visit Japan though," Alisa answered back. Kim raised his eyebrows when she mentioned her older sister. "Of course, I can't wait to challenge her to another drinking contest. Bloody bitch must have cheated because her alcohol tolerance is freakishly inhuman."

"Say high to your sister for me and Colonel Smirnov. She'll be glad to see the both of you though if she will be around in Japan. I'm sure she is still haunted by _that_ incident," Kim reminded his subordinates. "At the same time, we'll also hear more from your cousin, Lt. Bedelia."

"I know that it's supposed to be a secret mission, but just how long will Lt. Bedelia be gone for?" Andrei asked curiously.

Kim spotted a bus with a local driver sitting in the seat. "I'm not at liberty to say. Nevertheless, with Celestial Being increasing their activities, she'll be with us before long. Now have a safe trip. Oh, and Chief Petty Officer Kujo?"

"Yes, Colonel?" Alisa asked sweetly.

"Don't get yourself smashed during your vacation. I don't want to explain to Lt. Bedelia as to why her younger cousin is nursing a hangover when she goes back to duty after her vacation," Kim replied back, causing Alisa to smack her forehead.

All four of the soldiers climbed inside the bus as they paid the bus fare to the driver. Enrique searched for a seat and found one in the back, with Andrei sitting on the left side of the bus. Hye-In sat beside Enrique while Alisa sat beside Andrei as the driver felt confident enough to start driving from the base and into the highway while the sun was beginning to set.

The scenery around the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway was majestic in its own right, with green hills and small houses dotting the landscape. Andrei and Alisa opened their mouths in admiration at the larger view of the highway as the bus approached and drove through a large, white bridge. Hye-In grabbed her cellphone and began to take selfies with the scenery moving behind her and Enrique fell asleep as he listened to his ipod.

North Luzon Expressway's view changed by the time the bus turned right at the exit from the SCTEx, as rice terraces became more common. The driver chatted away with a passenger in front of him in his local language, laughing when the passenger told a joke. The bus ride went on for a long time until they reached Manila. It was midnight by the time the four soldiers got off the bus, to which they took another bus and paid the same fare. A different looking driver beckoned for them to get inside after they stuffed their luggages into the lower part of the bus.

"_Tara na, tara na_." the driver gestured for them to find their seats.

Enrique yawned. "We must be in EDSA already. This bus will definitely take us to Cavite Sangley International Airport for sure."

"Seems like it. It will be another two hours before we can reach Sangley Point," Alisa replied back. She handed one sandwich each to her three comrades as they began to eat. Andrei and Hye-In took the right side this time while Enrique sat on the left side, with Alisa sitting beside him. "Eat up. I don't know how much I can take this heat, even with the air conditioner."

Andrei was the first one to speak once the bus began to leave its stop and reached the intersection. "What was that about back in base when those jocks told you that you're the loser type of guy."

"It's not something that I wanted to talk about, so you'll understand Hye-In's situation a bit more when she hesitates to talk about her past," Enrique explained. Hye-In and Alisa perked their ears and looked at Enrique. "My dad has served the Human Reform League since he was the same age as we were when we graduated from the military academy as a Fanton pilot. Unfortunately, he had a bad relationship with my Tito Javier and whenever we have our yearly Christmas party, they would just glare at each other."

"And here I thought I had a dysfunctional family, but your family's relationship with each other is worse." Enrique shook his head.

"There's more: Tito Javier later joined a rebel group at the same time as my dad's first stint as an HRL soldier. While he was stationed in Vietnam, my uncle and a couple of rebel soldiers ambushed an HRL convoy traveling into Bicol and he was caught by the military police. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but he escaped when the Union invaded the Philippines during the last Solar War and enlisted as a Union soldier. I haven't seen him since," Enrique continued to explain.

By the time the bus arrived at the airport, Andrei and his squadmates got off the bus and entered the airport. They showed their passports to the security guards and proceeded to the check in point. Enrique and Hye-In walked towards one end of the terminal while Andrei and Alisa moved towards the other end. They boarded two different flights, each of them intended to fly towards different destinations.

* * *

><p><strong>PTOLEMAIOS HANGAR<strong>

"Are you sure that the Rasiel can be operated with just a GN Particle Tank, Hixar?" Feldt Grace asked Hixar. They stood in the hangar of the Ptolemaios as a large GN Particle Tank was being installed into the back of the Rasiel. Christina and three Haros typed the data into their laptops while trying to avoid the advances from a shy looking boy. "Lichty, can you at lease leave her alone? We got enough work to do here."

Lichtendal Tsery chuckled. "Sorry about that. I was about to come and tell you guys that we'll prepare for the second mission."

"Sure thing," Hixar chuckled. He climbed inside the Rasiel's cockpit while a miniature girl with the cat tail on her back followed. "You came just in time, Hayana."

The girl called Hayana pretended to act like a cat by making a scratching gesture. She joined Hixar inside the cockpit and looked at the screen while the Rasiel finished loading the GN Condenser in its back. After that, the Rasiel started to move towards the catapult, with Kyrios and Virtue waiting for their turn to launch.

"This is going to be your first debut as a Gundam Meister, but you won't have enough time to operate the Rasiel. There is a special dock where you can recharge your Gundam, and Wang Liu Mei can give you the directions for it," Feldt instructed the white haired Meister.

"Don't worry; Hixar and I will do our best. Is that right, big brother?" Hayana purred.

Hixar closed his eyes and nodded. "Of course. Just where is our special dock, Feldt?"

"On Earth, in Human Reform League territory." Feldt showed the location. "It's a couple thousand kilometers from where Exia and Dynames have their docks and Gundams hidden."

Hixar looked at the point on the map and nodded. "Subic Bay, huh? They have excellent covers there. Very well. Hixar Fermi and Hayana, Gundam Rasiel. Commencing intervention."

"That Hayana girl just gives me the creeps. I mean, is that tail even real!?" Christina trembled when she spotted Hayana. The short cat like girl just responded by making cat sounds and gave her the finger, irritating the heavy chested girl. "Good luck out there, Hixar."

"Thanks."

The Rasiel soon launched out of the Ptolemaios, followed by the Kyrios and Virtue. Inside the Virtue's cockpit, Tieria kept on looking at the Rasiel with a worried look on his face. He knew that a Gundam that did not have a numbered identity might not have the same kind of efficient performance as its third generation counterpart, but by guessing the pilot's familiarity with the machine, Tieria knew that Hixar's connection with the Rasiel went beyond mere formality. When Celestial Being was just beginning to form, he saw Hixar's performance while piloting the GN Sefer and Grave Violento's performance in the Rasiel.

"We're approaching the atmosphere. Beginning maximum GN particle distribution," Tieria said. All three Gundams began to speed up as they approached the Earth's gravity.

Inside the Rasiel, Hayana grabbed Hixar by the arm and showed him what appeared to be a well knitted glove. "Hey Hixar, when can you make me a scarf?"

"If I can get another set of yarn and some knitting tools, I can make you the prettiest scarf you'll ever see, Hayana-chan," Hixar told her as he patted her head. "You know, I could make another bonnet for Feldt though."

"Hixar, do you know why I took away your knitting tools?" Tieria asked after he opened up the comm. "You knitted me a sweater with a wrong color! I wanted it violet or purple, and you got me pink!"

Hixar made a shocked expression. "But Tieria, Chall and Sumeragi repeatedly told me that they didn't sell any color other than pink!"

"They must be lying. VEDA has told me that you can go to any store anywhere in the world and you can still get blue or purple yarn. After this mission, you shall make me another sweater," Tieria said sternly. "Is that clear?"

"You got your point. Oh, it's Setsuna and Lockon. Maybe I could knit a scarf for them, and they definitely won't mind if I chose a color for them." Hixar and the Rasiel moved towards the Exia.

"A scarf would suit Setsuna fine." Tieria pushed the levers forward as the Virtue raced to keep up with the Rasiel.

The Rasiel finally joined both mobile suits with the Kyrios and the Virtue following suit later on. All of the Gundam Meisters seemed to have noticed the Rasiel flying beside them, while Hixar in turn looked around at the Gundams he was flying beside with. However, he felt a bit jealous that his own machine will not be of much use in the long run because of the GN Drives that each third generation Gundam has while he is stuck with a GN Condenser.

It was something that the white haired, second generation Gundam Meister had constantly worried, fearing that should he run out of particles, the enemy will manage to capture this unit. He could imagine it: his own Rasiel, in the hands of any enemy while he himself would be led in chains, presumably to a lifelong imprisonment or a possible execution. Or worse.

"So the next mission..." Hixar started. "We'll be intervening in the Sri Lankan Civil War, right?"

"That's right. You were at the briefing, so you should understand the nature of our second mission," Tieria reminded him.

"If I remember, that conflict ended in 2009. I guess it flared up again in the 2050s." Hixar paused as the island of Ceylon approached them.

Lockon began to speak as all of their Gundams readied their weapons. "Everyone take action according to Ms. Sumeragi's forecast. I'm expecting a decent performance today from you guys."

"Decent's all right with me," Allelujah responded.

Tieria, as always, was blunt. "I prefer to be thorough."

"I'm kinda nervous," Hixar admitted. "Lockon-"

"You just stick by Tieria and guard him, OK? Your Rasiel's close combat skills should protect him for now." Lockon paused and turned towards Setsuna. "Hey, Setsuna. Did you hear what I said?"

Setsuna didn't pay attention to Lockon for a few minutes because he was lost in his thoughts. He could recall the time when he himself took part in a similar conflict to the one they are supposed to intervene and eliminate.

(Flashback)

_"This battle...is a just cause. We are holy warriors who are fighting to preserve our tradition in the name of God." a voice from the radio erupted from the transmission. In the background, several workloaders opened fire upon the Anfs, to no avail. The Anfs fired back and destroyed the armed Workloaders. "We shall cleanse this land of the infidels who pollute the land of God with their disbelief."_

_A young boy armed with an assault rifle looked frantically for a hiding place to escape from the bullets fired by the Anfs. As soon as one Anf aimed its machine gun, it was suddenly shot down. The young boy aimed his rifle in multiple directions, but the Anfs were quickly destroyed. He looked up in the sky to see a grey mobile suit with a cone emitting what appeared to be green particles on its back gazing back at him._

(End flashback)

"Setsuna, are you listening?" Lockon asked Setsuna. He finally spoke.

"Gundam. I am a Gundam." Setsuna pushed the lever, causing the Exia to move forward. "Commencing armed intervention."

"Take care of the kid, will you? Kyrios, now commencing mission." Allelujah raced the Kyrios to catch up with the Exia while the Virtue moved in a different direction.

"Why do I have to play the babysitter?" Lockon grumbled.

"Sucks to be you. Sucks to be you." The Haro flopped its mechanical ears.

"Ain't that the truth, pal?" Lockon grabbed the same sniping scope that was installed into the cockpit as the Dynames' V-Fin lowered down to reveal a scope eye.

"Wait for me!" Hixar yelled, not wanting to be left behind as the other four Gundams raced ahead of the Rasiel.

On the ground closer to the jungle, several Tierens engaged in a firefight with a smaller amount of Anfs as both sides bombarded each other using long range cannons. Just as one of the Tierens was about to slice the Anf off with its carbon axe, the Exia fired its beam rifle at them, destroying the arm in the process. Once the Exia and Dynames landed inside the battlefield, Setsuna proceeded to slice the Tierens one by one.

Lockon on the other hand, was busy dodging the anti-aircraft fire coming from the approaching Tieren Anti-Aircraft Cannon Type as he fired his sniper rifle, destroying most of them except for one surviving Tieren which fired its anti-air missiles. The Dynames grabbed a GN Pistol, fired its shots at the incoming missiles and destroyed the last Tieren.

Meanwhile, several HRL soldiers scrambled to activate their anti-aircraft cannons as the Kyrios approached their base. Allelujah fired a huge salvo of missiles towards the enemy airfield, triggering an explosion in the process. To finish off the enemy base, the Kyrios dropped its empty cargo into the ground, triggering another explosion that damaged the hangar before transforming into its mobile suit and fired its beam rifle at the anti-aircraft units.

Finally, the Virtue and Rasiel endured bombardments from three Tierens standing in the flight deck of an HRL mobile suit carrier as Tieria charged up his GN Bazooka. Hixar turned around after a couple of shells landed close to them and spotted four more Tieren Long Range Cannon type. He fired his GN Beam Rifle at said units and destroyed three of them before grabbing his GN Beam Saber and finished off the final unit. The Virtue then fired its GN Bazooka towards the carrier, eliminating all of the Tierens that were on top of the flight deck along with their carrier.

All of the Gundams retreated away from Ceylon as soon as they completed their mission, though the Exia and the Rasiel were not with the other Gundams. Tieria didn't pay attention to the fact that two Gundams were missing since there were supposed to be five, and it was not until Lockon flew to the side that he finally took notice.

"Looks like the two Gundams went ahead of us," Lockon told both Allelujah and Tieria. The purple haired Meister however, was not pleased.

"Why is Setsuna a Gundam Meister? Moreover, why did VEDA assigned Hixar Fermi to the main branch when Fereshte is operating 0 Gundam's GN Drive?" Tieria asked back.

The Rasiel flew off in another direction from the Exia as Hixar and Hayana looked at the screen inside the cockpit. It didn't take long until Hixar noticed the gauge on the Rasiel's GN Particle Tank level as it started to shrink. Despite having used up a tiny amount of energy to just shoot at the Tierens and used the beam saber, the particles were consumed a lot faster than the third generation Gundams.

"There's the location for our container!" Hayana exclaimed. She pointed out at a hidden container beneath the jungle as the Rasiel landed inside and the container opened. "We're safe, Hixar!"

"Of course we are, Hayana." Hixar and Hayana climbed out of the cockpit to see ten Haros on a small platform rushing towards them. "You guys know what to do."

"Roger! Roger!" the Haros chirped.

Hayana leaned on the wall while waiting for the Haros to finish the GN Particle Tank's recharging. At the same time, Hixar heard a small beep coming from his phone and pressed the button to answer it. He was surprised at who he was talking to on the other line.

"Hixar, are you there?" Chall Acustica asked Hixar.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"The container that you're in right now is yours, but because of the limited operating time that the Rasiel has, I'm afraid you'll be conducting your mission within the HRL's airspace. Don't worry though: we'll find a way to compensate for the lack of GN Drive in the Rasiel," Chall explained, but Hixar could hear Fon and Echo argue from the other line.

"Is Fon actually behaving himself?" the white haired Meister asked.

Chall sighed. "You know, I did send the Plutone to take out an HRL military base, but it proved to be much tougher than the base in Ceylon."

Hixar nodded. "Yeah. Has VEDA given anyone new missions? I wanted to do more missions, but I don't have any yet."

"You'll do fine with the main Meisters, if that is what you're worried about," Chall assured him. She sighed and looked at her watch while standing inside an empty room in Krung Thep. "I gotta go now."

"Roger that."

Meanwhile, Setsuna flew by himself but one transport was flying closer towards him. A single Flag popped out of the transport plane and transformed into its mobile suit mode. The Exia readied its GN Sword, prompting the Flag to prep up its own sonic saber.

"Who the hell are you?" Setsuna growled.

"I'm Graham Aker, the guy who is obsessed with wanting to know everything about you, Gundam," Graham Aker responded. "You know, I had a strange feeling that we were fated to meet like this. Or perhaps it's because you stopped emitting that light that I would like to take a little souvenir!"

"Don't you...touch me!" Setsuna yelled. The Exia shoved the Flag aside, causing Graham to lose the saber. He managed to dodge the GN Sword that was swung towards him. He then grabbed the Exia's shoulder and tried to pry it off, but couldn't do it as the Exia grabbed its GN Beam Saber and sliced the Flag's sonic rifle off. Graham finally made a decision to retreat from the battle and returned with his Flag towards the transport carrier.

In the hangar, Billy watched as the maintenance crew inspected the Flag for damages while Graham ran towards the changing room in order to take off his pilot suit. At the same time, the transport plane began to fly towards what appeared to be a civilian airplane and passed by as it continued to fly towards its intended location.

"You know, Perth is only a while away from where we are now," Billy said when Graham rejoined him.

Graham chuckled. "Yeah, and it would be nice to see Yagan and his niece Amelia once again. Come to think about it, it's been a while since we last came to Australia."

"That is actually where we will stop next," Billy told him, but he frowned. "Although I wouldn't be sad for long."

"It's just that I'll have to write an apology to our CO for losing the Flag's rifle." Graham watched as the maintenance crew began its repairs on the Flag.

"I wouldn't worry about that either; the combat data received from your interaction with the Gundam has more than made up for the loss of the rifle. Heck, it was worth using the Flag altogether." Billy watched the video of the Flag's fight against the Exia. "Say, what do you want to do when we arrive in Australia?"

"Nothing much, aside from shopping for some souvenirs. By the way, you look like you need to take a break as well, Billy," Graham said. The transport plane continued its journey and only when they finally arrived in Australia did Graham grab his suitcase, with Billy doing the same thing.

Perth's military base looked like a typical Union military base: it had several hangars and tank sheds on one side, barracks on the other side and a mess hall in the middle of the base. In this case, Australian Union members dominated the garrison here, as opposed to say, Canadian or American Union members. Realdos that came back from a training exercise landed in the airfield as they were escorted by the ground crew while ground infantry soldiers riding on reconaissance vehicles had just arrived from another training field.

An older looking man stood in the terminal as the transport plane slowed down and waited for the terminal crew to attach the pathway to the door of the transport plane. Ten minutes later, Graham and Billy emerged from the pathway and into the building as they saluted to him. Elsewhere, other Union officers sat down in their seats, waiting for their next plane to arrive.

"Lieutenant Yagan Crow, 8th Australian Squadron." The man shook Graham's hands. "I must say, your arrival in the Land Down Under is rather surprising, Lieutenant Graham Aker."

"The pleasure's all mine." Graham looked around, but no one else is standing behind Yagan. "Where's Amelia?"

Yagan chuckled. "She's still in the Union base around the Gulf of Carpentaria. That base recently became the spot for one of those naval skirmishes that are occurring often, mostly between the Australian Navy and the HRL's Pacific Fleet whose base is in Davao."

"I doubt that skirmish will last long. Celestial Being-" Billy began to explain, but Yagan raised his hand up.

"I know what those Celestial whatever assholes are doing these days. Here." Yagan handed Billy a newspaper with the headline news talking about the events in Ceylon.

Graham sighed. The refueling job can take as long as two hours, depending on the size of the transport plane. At the same time, there's also the unloading and loading the damaged Flag, along with the transfer of another Flag unit, presumably Yagan's own unit, into the transport plane.

"How long will the transport plane stay for? We have to go back to our base in the continental United States and report to our superiors about our fight with the Gundam," Billy pleaded, but Yagan shrugged.

"The head honchos wouldn't mind. In fact, I personally sent a request to join you both on your return trip to America." Both men gasped as Yagan nodded. "I need to see your base commander in the US, and there's also the guerrilla unit that we're in charge of re-supplying."

"Guerrilla unit?" Graham asked curiously.

"The Filipino guerrilla unit led by a Javier Alvarez. The guy is notorious because his brother and nephew are in the HRL military." Yagan turned around to see an officer saluting while facing him at the same time. "Lieutenant."

"Lieutenant Aker, your transport plane is ready. We'll depart from Perth as soon as you three arrive in the terminal," the officer told them. Yagan picked up his luggage while Graham and Billy started to follow him. After they climbed inside the transport plane, two repaired Flags joined three passengers as the transport plane began to leave the terminal. It didn't take long before the transport plane took off from the runway and headed into the sky.

* * *

><p><strong>UNION SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE ZONE<strong>  
><strong>TOKYO, JAPAN<strong>

Tokyo at the twenty fourth century looked far more advanced than it did during the twenty first century. Sure, there were high rises that sprung up in every city district within the Japanese capital, but in addition to the rail transit that dotted the city scenery, there were also futuristic technology that was employed for civilian use. Among them, a huge civilian passenger plane that looked like an old Antonov cargo plane. It was that cargo plane that Andrei and Alisa rode on from Sangley Point to Tokyo Narita Airport.

When the two HRL soldiers exited from Narita terminal, Andrei grabbed his cell phone and started to dial. Before their departure, Colonel Kim had sent a message to the soldiers on leave that they are to dress up in civilian gear before leaving HRL territory so they won't get in trouble when they arrive at a Union territory. Andrei wore a buttoned long sleeve shirt and business pants while Alisa wore her jeans and a tank top to match her green shirt.

"Hello? Kinue?" Andrei spoke on the phone as he can hear the dial tone.

"Hello?" a feminine sounding voice was heard. "Andrei?"

"Oh, hey, Kinue! I know it's a short notice, but could we stay over at your house? I told you that we were traveling to Japan on our break, but we don't know which hotel we're staying in." Andrei looked for a taxi to ride on.

"That's fine. You both can stay at my house for a week," Kinue answered back. She gazed at the clock inside an empty room while various news reporters ran back and forth with a single piece of paper on their hands. "I gotta go. You know my address, right? It's in the e-mail that I sent you."

"Thanks, and is Saji gonna be home?" Andrei asked again.

"Yeah. Gotta go." Kinue hanged up the phone.

Alisa yawned. "Damn it. I'm too tired to even walk a single step further."

"There's the taxi." Andrei pointed at a taxi driving towards them. They placed their bags in the trunk and climbed inside the taxi as the driver began to drive. An hour later, the taxi stopped at a tall building as the two soldiers grabbed their bags once again, with Andrei paying the taxi fare to the driver and waited for someone to open the door for them. Fifteen minutes later, a brown haired teenager and a blonde haired girl who was clinging on his shoulder walked towards them. "Saji! Saji, over here!"

Saji Crossroad narrowed his eyes before he gasped and ran towards Andrei. They embraced each other like brothers and entered the apartment building, with the blonde haired girl looking curiously at Alisa, who then gazed back at her.

"Louise, I forgot to introduce him. This is Andrei, my sister's friend." Saji pointed at Andrei. He and Louise shook hands.

"Your sister's lucky. Hopefully they get married and they'll let us get married," Louise whispered to Saji. They arrived at a doorway as Saji opened the door with his keys. "Who's the redhead?"

Alisa closed her eyes and grinned falsely. "Alisa Kujo at your service, Ms. Bimbo."

Louise glared at her. "Who are you calling a bimbo?"

"I've seen the way you clutch his shoulder. Believe me, I know," Alisa sneered before the two women grabbed each other's hands and tried to push each other before Andrei stopped the fight.

"Behave, you two. Especially you, Ensign Kujo," he warned. Alisa reluctantly let go of Louise's hands and went into an empty room. Andrei turned to Louise and bowed. "I'm sorry if she's like that."

"I've seen worse from other girls who tried to ask Saji out," Louise said darkly. She and Saji went to the dining room, and on top of the table several textbooks were laid out. Saji began to write something in his notebook before he paused to look at Andrei. "I almost forgot, our teacher was terrible today!"

"How so?" Andrei asked curiously. He could clearly guess the answer already, judging by the number of textbooks that they had on the table.

Saji answered instead. "We have a math test tomorrow on algorithms, three pages of applied physics assignments due tomorrow as well, and a history essay on the energy crisis and how the Solar Wars were affected by them."

Alisa walked into the kitchen a minute later, but she changed to a blue tank top with a small sweater on top. "Homework? That must have sucked ass for you guys. I did the same thing when I was sent to Vancouver during my high school years. Even though I kicked ass in academics, it wasn't enough for the university deans to accept me into a Union university. The one where my older sister studied before she joined those pampered AEU guys."

"If you went to a Union high school, then how come you ended up in the Human Reform League?" Louise asked curiously, but her eyes twitched at Alisa's comment about 'pampered Europeans'.

(Flashback - 2304 AD)

_An eighteen year old Alisa Kujou walked around the city of Osaka, dejected and depressed after she received a rejection letter from one of the Union's top astronomy universities. Her eyes were swollen and she kept on looking down on the ground. She did not notice an older woman walking in the sidewalk as she accidentally bumped into her._

_"Sorry." Alisa mumbled, but the tourist stopped and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I didn't do anything to hurt you, really?"_

_"What's wrong?" the tourist asked. Alisa narrowed her eyes with suspicion since the tourist's accent sounded different from the accents used by the Osaka dialect speakers. "You are right to be suspicious of me. That is a sign of a warrior who's always alert. Come with me, young lady."_

_Alisa followed the mysterious tourist throughout the Osaka streets until they reached an old coffeehouse. After they purchased their drinks, they grabbed a table and sat down. The tourist smiled and turned to face the young woman sitting across from her. The eighteen year old felt nervous and uncomfortable at the sight of her new 'friend'._

_"I won't mince words with you," she told her. "I'm an officer in the Human Reform League military. There's no need for me to ask who you are. My colleague has always mentioned her cousin to me whenever we were on our training exercise together. You know, Delphine Bedelia?"_

_The young Alisa opened her mouth and nodded. "You know cousin Delphine?"_

_"Yeah. I also heard about that _incident_ over in Europe." Alisa raised her eyebrows. The tourist kept on talking. "Friendly fire from two AEU commanders, with one commander accidentally giving a wrong prediction. She resigned in disgrace and since then, no one has heard from her."_

_"I know who you're talking about. Perfect big sister who can never go wrong, finally makes a mistake," Alisa replied back bitterly. "Why are you telling me this?"_

_The tourist smirked. "Alisa Kujo, I am here to offer you a future that not even the Union or the AEU could dream of making: would you like to join the HRL military as a tactical forecaster and mobile suit pilot? Of course you'll have to undergo training at the academy. By the way, I'm Captain Vhong, from Vietnam."_

_Alisa hesitated for a moment after she heard this offer. Though her day has gone bad because the rejection letter said that her grades weren't good enough for one of the most prestigious universities where future astronauts come to train, she suddenly felt surprised that another life changing career prospect had been offered to her, and from a nation that she was originally born in. Moreover, Alisa felt that she had a chance to make her life much better than her older sister whose life continued to spiral out of control. Without any doubt, she shook hands with Captain Vhong._

_"Yes, I would like to join the Human Reform League military," she declared._

_Three hours later, Alisa and Captain Vhong arrived at her apartment to pack her things in a huge luggage. Her enlistment papers was sitting on the small table beside her bed, already filled with information the recruiters at the HRL military needed along with the necessary documents required. Captain Vhong placed the important documents into an unused suitcase as the door opened to reveal an older woman who resembled Alisa along with a younger looking man with glasses and a big ponytail on the back of his head._

_"Hello, is anyone home?" twenty three year old Lisa Kujo called out._

_"I'm here," Alisa shouted out. "Sis?"_

_"Hi Alisa." Lisa and Billy Katagiri turned to see Captain Vhong nod at them. "Who is this?"_

_Alisa smirked. "This lady here just gave me a consolation price for everything bad that's happened to me."_

_"You cried a lot earlier when you told me that the astronomy department at California Institute of Technology." Lisa spotted the Captain. "And you didn't tell me who this stranger is, even though we agreed to not bring strangers in."_

_"You may not know me, but I do know a lot about you, Lisa Kujo," Captain Vhong told her bluntly. She tilted her head to the side and smiled. "Oh yes, the incident was covered on every newspaper in Europe and in North America too. A friend of mine who is staying in Calgary told me about it. You graduated from a prestigious Union university to become a tactical forecaster and you threw your career away. Even after you were mentored by none other than Holly Smirnova, you still managed to make a mistake. I was her classmate too, you know."_

_Lisa glared at her. "I may be a child prodigy during my age, but that doesn't mean you can belittle me. Moreover, why are you interested in my younger sister anyways?"_

_"She doesn't have the same emotional baggage-" Vhong continued, but Alisa held up her hand._

_"Mom and Dad always gave you attention when we were younger. They used to tell me how I'm not good enough compared to you." Alisa glared back at her sister. "How their little star prodigy was going to change the world while I'm going to fade into obscurity, that tore me up on the inside." _

_Lisa turned her gaze away from Alisa. "Is this issue going to keep dragging you down, Alisa? It's not my fault that you couldn't try harder to become like me."_

_"I tried harder in school, and yet I was told by the deans that I'm mediocre. Anyways, I'm going to join the military. Besides, I'll be following in your footsteps and even prevent myself from sucking ass the same way you did," Alisa replied back snidely. _

_Billy straightened his eyeglasses. "Which military though?"_

_"If you're thinking that I am going to join those pampered Europeans, you're dead wrong. Nor am I going to join the Union military, even though I studied there since I was a teenager," Alisa answered. She and Captain Vhong approached the doorway and smiled. "I'm going to join the Human Reform League military. Our homeland calls for its offspring to come back."_

_"Wait a sec-Alisa!" Lisa shouted back, but Alisa and Captain Vhong ignored her and left. She grabbed a glass and flung it into the floor, breaking it into smaller pieces._

_"Just calm down for a sec, Lisa. I'll clean that up." Billy grabbed a broom and began to sweep the shards of broken glass. He gave her a hug and sat down once the mess was cleaned up. "It will be all right."_

(End flashback)

Andrei turned to Alisa and tapped her on the shoulder. "Your sister knew my mom?"

"Yeah." Alisa sighed. "Your mom inspired my sister and her friend Ms. Mannequin to become tactical forecasters. She pioneered the concept in the first place, and being a tactical forecaster for the HRL would have allowed me to honor her legacy. I guess it's hard for you though, Andrei."

Saji and Louise nodded. However, it was Louise who raised her hand up. "I'm confused because I don't understand the difference between kinetic friction and static friction."

"I'll show you." Andrei sat down and grabbed a pencil to write the formulas down. The love couple paid attention to Andrei's lectures while Alisa laid down on the couch and closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p> 


	5. Stage Five: To Change the World

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00.

Warning: The following scenes may be violent. Feel free to skip them if you must.

* * *

><p><strong>Stage Five: To Change the World<strong>

**INSIDE THE UNION TRANSPORT PLANE**  
><strong>AD 2307<strong>

The Union transport plane continued its pace as it maintained its altitude while passing through Indonesian airspace. Graham and Billy kept on watching the footage of the Flag's fight against the Exia until they spotted Yagan with a laptop on his arm. Beneath the sky, three Union warships anchored in the middle of the sea, watching for any suspicious activity.

When the Union transport finally reached North American airspace, it was already noon as numerous Realdos and Flags were parked in a large hangar. Just like in Australia, Union soldiers traveled inside the military base and vehicles waited for a signal, indicating that they're clear to go.

Inside MSWAD headquarters, Joshua Edwards watched the Union transport plane as it slowed down in the tarmac. He stared at the transport plane as Graham, Billy and Yagan exited through the pathway and arrived inside the terminal. Unfortunately, the Alaskan ace was not happy at all to see his rival.

"Lt. Aker, Chief Engineer Katagiri and Lt. Crow. I'm Second Lieutenant Joshua Edwards and I'll escort you three to the commander right away." Joshua couldn't help but feel irritated when he saw Graham, though the Flag fighter ignored him. "Lt. Crow, I'm quite surprised that you decided to tag along with these two since you're probably busy guarding your country against those guys from the League."

Yagan scoffed. "I wanted to see for myself just how good we are against the Gundams."

"Ah yes, I heard about that." Joshua smirked. He stopped in front of the door and knocked. A voice was heard from inside the room.

"Who's there?"

"Second Lieutenant Joshua Edwards, sir. I'm here because I escorted the three people you wanted to see." Joshua and his entourage waited for five minutes until the door opened, revealing a man around Yagan's age. Joshua and the three guests saluted to the commander, who did the same. "Sir."

"Thank you for escorting them, Edwards. You may go." The commander gestured for the three guests to come in, allowing Joshua to leave. He turned to Yagan and shook hands. "Lt. Yagan Crow, I'm surprised to see you here."

"Sir, I filed a request to join MSWAD three weeks ago, and they just approved it. Just how are we going to commence our investigation of the Gundams?" Yagan began. He beckoned for Graham to come forward.

"Also, I would like to make an apology to you, Commander, for losing my rifle when I engaged the Gundam in combat," Graham added. He handed his folder to the commander.

"So you two showed up at the AEU orbital elevator to see the new model being unveiled, and instead you witnessed a disaster. On top of that, you engaged in a battle against a Gundam," the Commander told them.

Billy also handed his folder in. "I would like to say on behalf of Lt. Aker that the data collected on the Gundam from the Flag's fight against it was more than a fair trade. It was also worth using the Flag to test out its capabilities against this new Gundam."

The commander nodded. "The top brass feels the same way, actually. Tell me, how hard are you all willing to work in order to make sure we get ahead of the AEU and the HRL?"

"All of us here would love to take such a chance, sir," Yagan answered back. The commander grinned.

"That's the spirit. Because Lt. Aker and Chief Engineer Katagiri have seen this Gundam in action, they'll receive their transfers. Moreover, since we approved your request to join the MSWAD, you'll get your transfer as well. Starting from now, you three are now a part of the Anti-Gundam Investigative Force." The Commander handed them three separate folders.

"Anti-Gundam Investigative Force?" Graham read the contents in his folder.

"And we're working under the Professor Ralph Eifman? This investigation and research must be worth tackling, to be honest," Billy added.

"Get it done quickly, or we'll be left behind." The Commander gestured for them to leave, but not before they saluted back at him.

Once the three men left the Commander's office, they walked off into the hallway where a stocky blond man stood at the wall and saluted to them. Yagan saluted back at him and gestured for the stocky man to go ahead, but he decided to join them. Graham couldn't help but notice the bright and easygoing personality the newcomer displayed.

"Sorry if I just jumped in like that. Are you guys in need of new subordinates? I'm fair game," the newcomer started.

Yagan chuckled and grinned. "The Commander just created a new task force that is going to investigate the Gundams. We're looking for pilots who can help us track down and capture a Gundam if possible."

"Just who is this guy?" Billy wondered. The newcomer held out his hand for Billy to shake, which he hesitantly did.

"Amy Zimbalist at your service, and I must say the rumors about you must be true, eh?" Amy Zimbalist replied back in a light tone.

"Are you referring to me, Mr. Zimbalist?" Billy smiled back as they continued to walk. "I worked for Professor Eifman when my friend transferred to the AEU."

Amy whistled. "Oh..." He turned to Graham. "And I'll assume that this is the man responsible for sending my cousin's company into bankruptcy."

"Bankruptcy? What in the world are you talking about?" Graham looked at him. He gasped and pointed at him. "Wait a minute! Does your cousin actually own Bell Factory?"

"The one and same, Lt. Aker. Cousin Mike's been a halfway competent guy when it comes to business management. Lately though, Bell Factory received a massive financial boost from some UN diplomat. Seems to me that they were interested in the decommissioned Union Blast," Amy replied back. He looked at his watch and gasped. "Oh, will you look at the time? I've got to get back to my barracks in fifteen minutes!"

Graham and Billy barely tried to hide their sniggers as Amy stumbled out of the door and ran as fast as he could, narrowly avoiding an incoming jeepney in the process.

"Amy Zimbalist...are you really going to let him join our group?" Billy asked Yagan, but he got no answer.

* * *

><p><strong>HUMAN REFORM LEAGUE ORBITAL ELEVATOR<strong>

Three of the five Gundam Meisters stood at a small table, waiting for Setsuna to show up before Tieria's linear train is set to leave from the orbital elevator. Passengers traveling to and from space moved constantly inside the orbital elevator station as the PA blared out announcements of departures and arrivals of the linear trains.

A minute later, Setsuna and Hixar walked inside the elevator with their civilian gear on. Hixar wore his custom made white trench coat and a blue scarf around his neck while Setsuna wore a plain long sleeve shirt and a red scarf was around his neck as well. Lockon looked up to see the newcomers while Hixar waved at them. Hayana was absent from the group, however.

"Hey, do you both know how late you've come?" Lockon asked casually.

"I thought you were dead," Tieria replied back flatly, but Hixar chuckled and grinned sheepishly.

"We just felt like laying back. Don't get your brains all stressed out, Tieria," the white haired Meister replied back. "Oh, I've submitted my report to VEDA on my mission."

"Same here," Setsuna added.

Tieria nodded. "I'll take a look at your reports later on."

"Anyways, the important thing is we're all safe and sound. I'll leave space to you, Tieria. We know you don't like your feet on the ground," Lockon told Tieria who didn't really make a facial expression.

"I'll follow my orders, though I'm not sure for certain if he can keep up with us." Tieria pointed at Hixar who looked for a small clothing store to shop. "Hey, Hixar! We're not here to shop for clothes."

"I was gonna look for a store where they sell yarn. You know, for your second sweater." Hixar looked reproachfully as Tieria slapped his forehead. A waiter approached them with a glass of milk, to which he placed it on the table. Setsuna looked at the glass of milk before he turned his gaze to Lockon.

"That one's on me. What about the rest of you? Shall I buy some drinks?" Lockon offered.

Allelujah raised his hand. "I'm fine for now. Although do you really think it will work?"

"There's nothing to worry about, Allelujah. The unit's been mixed with some colony construction materials. As long as it's the same weight and there are no checks after that, we're good to go." Lockon watched as Tieria boarded the orbital elevator linear train. "Especially here."

"Well that is definitely their Achilles' heel. If we have a weak point, it would be that the Ptolemaios' operation time-" Setsuna placed his hand on Allelujah's shoulder.

"Don't talk about our secrets. There might be soldiers and spies around."

"My bad." The four remaining Meisters exited the orbital elevator station.

"Well, time to get back home and rest. I wish I could catch up on my sleep though," Allelujah told Lockon, but he shrugged.

"We can't take a break now. The world ain't gonna listen to us the first few times. Gotta strike while the iron is still hot though." Lockon turned to Hixar. "And where are you staying?"

Hixar smiled. "At a place called Ermita." He whispered to Lockon's ear. "The container's been moved from the jungle and submerged in the water before reaching the ocean floor. Don't worry though: it's been relocated to the bottom of the sea, close to where Corregidor Island is located."

"That's good to hear, Hixar," Lockon replied back.

While the three Meisters walked off from the orbital elevator, five HRL soldiers waited in front of the exit as Sergei appeared. Both Sergei and the soldiers waiting for him saluted to each other while another HRL vehicle appeared with two additional officers walking calmly towards them.

"Colonel Smirnov, we've been waiting for you." the lead soldier put his hand down. "How did space treat you, sir?"

"I prefer to have both of my legs glued to the ground," Sergei answered. "There's something comforting about gravity."

The lead soldier nodded. "The commander has been waiting for you. If you may allow us-" Sergei raised his hand.

"I'd like to stop by Ceylon first. As you should know by now, I only believe in things that I see. Now then." The HRL soldiers turned to the two newcomers. "Is there additional news for me?"

Captain Vhong saluted to Sergei. "Colonel Smirnov, you've been temporarily assigned two soldiers from the Subic Bay naval base for the tour in Ceylon. These soldiers have an interesting story to tell you."

"Really? Who are they?" Sergei grew curious. Vhong smirked.

"Ensigns Enrique Alvarez and Hye-In Chang." Three HRL soldiers groaned. "Is there a problem, gentlemen?"

"Out of all the soldiers in Subic Bay, Colonel Kim just had to send that former K-Pop diva and Colonel Alvarez's son."

Sergei closed his eyes. "I know what you're all getting at. However, I can't complain about the soldiers I've been assigned to lead."

"That is true, but most of the HRL military knew about her...past career," a third HRL soldier commented.

"In that case, I need to get to Ceylon right away."

* * *

><p><strong>TOKYO, JAPAN<strong>

It was already morning when Saji and Louise left their apartment suite to go to school by the time Andrei and Alisa woke up from their long sleep. After traveling from the Philippines to Japan, they still suffered mildly from jet lag, allowing them to stay inside the Crossroad residence. Alisa reached for her luggage and opened up her laptop that was packed inside. She began to type on her laptop, prompting Andrei to do the same thing.

"So what do you want to do in the meantime?" Andrei asked the auburn haired woman.

Alisa yawned. "I wanna go shopping for clothes and go buy some souvenirs. Saitama and Shinjuku should offer us some good bargain prices, and Hye-In asked me to look for a new tablet because she's giving her old one to Enrique. Poor guy doesn't even have one, and he's earning money just to send it to his parents."

"You know, Saji gave me this key just in case we need to go out of the building." Andrei jiggled some house keys in front of Alisa's face. "We could go right now."

"After we have a hot bath, Andrei." Alisa walked quickly into the bathroom, turned on the tap and began to shower.

Andrei picked up a newspaper from the pile when he went down into the lobby. Though he could not understand Japanese, he picked up an English language Japanese newspaper and went back into the suite. By the time Alisa was finished with her bath, Andrei placed the newspapers on the table as he opened up the fridge and grabbed a tray full of eggs.

"Thanks for getting these newspapers for me, Andrei." Alisa picked up the Japanese language newspaper and read the article. "Northern Ireland's still fighting each other these days. Reminds me of the time we were in the academy when we often heard about news from Europe."

"Yeah, and the worst part is, the Balkans might be one of the possible locations where Celestial Being might intervene, and I emphasized on the word might." He quickly placed the eggs on the plate for Alisa to eat. "We have six days left until we go back to active duty, so we can take care of the shopping first."

Shinjuku was unusually quiet by noon, though there would normally be eager shoppers willing to spend their money on consumer goods. By the time Andrei and Alisa arrived at Flags Shopping Mall in the heart of Shinjuku, the mall itself became more lively as shopkeepers opened their stores.

Alisa went to an electronics store in search of the tablet while Andrei wandered off around the mall. He spotted a sports jersey store where numerous merchandise were sold. From baseball hats to replicas of jerseys from various Asian football, basketball, baseball and ice hockey teams, Andrei searched for a football jersey that Enrique had requested and also looked at ice hockey jerseys that he himself wanted. When he finally picked up the jerseys he wanted, Andrei paid the shopkeeper for the jerseys and went out of the store, just in time to see Alisa walking towards him with several shopping bags in her hand.

"What's with the bags?" Andrei pointed at the shopping bags.

"These are the new clothes that I've been dying to wear, and there are some that Hye-In wanted. No tablet though, but at least she'll be happy with the gifts that I gave her," Alisa replied back. She gazed at Andrei's single shopping bag. "You didn't buy much at all."

"Enrique wanted me to get a Luch Energiya Vladivostok jersey for him while I got a replica of Admiral Vladivostok hockey jersey." Andrei showed her what he bought. "I'm also thinking of buying a football for the entire base to play with."

The auburn haired woman giggled. "Just as long as you buy a basketball as well, we'll be fine."

Inside an aerospace engineering high school on the outskirts of Tokyo, Saji and Louise were inside a classroom as the teacher gave a lecture. Though most of the students attending this school were in fact poised to enter the space industry, their classes had to include courses on history in order to understand the current events that is happening right now.

"The continued conflict in Northern Ireland may not have much significance today, but it was at that place where the KPSA had carried out a terrorist attack. The reason for the KPSA's terrorist attack was the Middle East's financial difficulties as a result of the oil embargo that crippled their economies," the teacher explained. He activated an electronic map of the Middle East. "In addition, the enforced ban on the construction of nuclear reactors because of its vulnerability to a terrorist attack also contributed to the low energy crisis, with Azadistan discouraged from building one."

One of the students raised their hand up. "Sir, is it only the Middle East that has faced an oil embargo?"

The teacher shook his head. "Other oil producing states like Russia, Taribia, the United States, Canada and even Egypt faced the same embargo and they still managed to adapt to different sources of energy. There are other factors that led to the continued conflict around the world. If we go back to Northern Ireland, it's the conflict between two Christian groups such as the Catholics and Protestants. In the case of the Balkans however, it's practically two rival Christian churches at each other's throats, plus Christian-Muslim rivalries and there's also past grievances, as was the case between Serbia and Bulgaria back in the 19th century, and Greece and Bulgaria in the same time period." He looked up at the watch. "For this term, I want you all to present to me two essays: one on the Northern Ireland conflict and the second on the energy crisis and its connections to the past Solar Wars. That is all."

Lunch time at the cafeteria was rather uneventful for Saji since he was bummed out at having to do a lot of history homework.

"Who do we even bother to take a history class if we're engineering students?" Saji complained.

Louise folded her arms together. "Further technological advances will depend on maintenance of orbital elevators and the development of space colonies. A knowledge of history is necessary in order to relate to engineers from other nations."

"That's a relief, but still..." Saji continued to feel stressed.

"I guess this is why they let me in as an exchange student. You know, we could ask that Andrei guy for help with our history homework. He sure saved our lives when we had that quiz on algorithms in math, thanks to his private lecture." Louise Halevy got up from the table. "My exchange will end in two years though, so I'd like to ask. Do you ever think of the future, Saji?"

Saji frowned. For a minute, he didn't have an answer to Louise's question. "I guess."

"Am I in it?" Louise continued to ask. When Saji hesitated to answer, Louise simply walked off from the table, but not before pausing to look back at him. "This is where you're supposed to chase me."

"Wait up!" Saji caught up to her. "How about we study at my house? I'm sure Andrei would be glad to tutor us while he's staying for a week."

"Yeah, but there's that redhead with the abrasive attitude." Louise folded her arm. "Let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAGOEVGRAD, BULGARIA<strong>

The surrounding mountains that dotted this beautiful landscape dominating the city of Blagoevgrad in Bulgaria had made it a suitable place for the AEU to establish their military base. Yet like Serbia, there are elements within Bulgarian society that resented the AEU for dictating their will upon this once proud nation that used to call itself the Prussia of the Balkans. True, there were segments of Bulgarian society that felt proud to be a part of the AEU, with its established traditions built on democracy and freedom. Yet there were various minority segments of that nation's society that felt betrayed by its severance of ties between their nation and HRL member state Russia, and this kind of betrayal goes way back to the 21st century.

So it was not surprising for Second Lieutenant Viktor Kaloyanov Leonov to hear talks about impending protests and riots that had plagued his homeland already. Given the AEU's attempted intervention in Serbia last year and the fierce resistance from both HRL garrison forces and the Serbian Army, there were AEU member states that began to question the necessity of forcing non-AEU European member states to join. They often pointed at Moralia as an example of a European nation that is not a part of the AEU.

"Bloody idiots," Viktor grumbled whenever he read his newspaper. He was sitting at the military base's cafeteria while a server placed his dish on the table.

"_Priyatno yadene_," the server mumbled, bowing to the officer after he put down Viktor's order of shopska salad.

"_Blagodarya vi_." Viktor handed the server 10 Euros. He turned to an officer who walked towards him. "_Shto_? Is there a new mission for me?"

"_Ne, gospodine_. Your unit is still on standby," the officer responded. "Although I am a bit concerned with the way you've treated your subordinates."

"What am I supposed to do, sir? The people that I am responsible for are either weak, socially awkward or with severe behavior problems. They doubt themselves too often, and needless to say, their teamwork is shit." Viktor gestured for the officer to sit down. "How am I supposed to help capture a Gundam with the amount of incompetent subordinates who are subpar? Should I hand in my resignation and join PMC Trust?"

The officer who sat down shook his head. "How long have you been with your subordinates?"

"Just a month, but all of their previous officers have told me that their behavior is unacceptable, and they often horseplay when an officer is absent. Heck, I might as well command a goddamned penal battalion right now!" Viktor snapped. "Shall I go over to my commanding officer and hand in my resignation letter? Because I have it here with me right now."

"Lieutenant Leonov, I know you're frustrated because you're not with your buddies over in Vidin right now but with the recent events happening, and Celestial Being-" the officer began, but Viktor continued to eat. Suddenly, a second officer arrived and saluted to them. "_Kakvo novo_?"

"_Gospodine, az s'm tuk za Leytenant Leonov_." a third officer turned to face Viktor. "_Leytenant_ Leonov, your new mission folder has arrived from our headquarters in Sofia."

Viktor grabbed the folder and opened it. He gasped in surprise at the content of the folder. "I don't believe this."

"Sir?"

"It looks like we're heading to a new training exercise with the entire AEU nations in Moralia. Yet I'm still stuck with the very same ill-behaved children who can't even fire a rifle to save their lives," Viktor said as he finished his salad. He got up and walked off the table, with the two AEU officers following him. "I will have to talk to these kids and see if they can shape up or ship out. Or I ship out as well."

The men's barracks was kept tidy as various AEU junior pilots who had just graduated from their training were busy cleaning up their space inside the barracks. When one squadmate shouted to his teammates as Viktor approached the barracks, the squadmate who shouted saluted to him, prompting Viktor to give him a nod. He looked around the barracks and saw most of the junior pilots either listening to their ipods or playing video games with their friends.

"Squadron!" Viktor snapped, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and stood in front of their beds. "I'm here to deliver some interesting news."

The junior pilots whispered amongst themselves, curious at Viktor's announcement. When the whispers have died down, the Bulgarian officer turned to his squad but he did not smile.

"This squadron has been chosen to participate in the AEU training exercise in Moralia. Though Bulgaria is honored to participate in this rare mission, your sub par skills in teamwork and individual piloting skills have convinced me that you're not ready. What I am here to say is, I don't care if you're not ready. You've all become soldiers the moment you've joined the AEU military, and I expect you to learn lots from this new experience." Viktor turned to see one pilot raise his hand up. "_Da_?"

"_Gospodine_, how long will the training exercise be? My parents are waiting for me to send them a message," one pilot asked.

"Look, you're no longer a kid, so just suck it up." Viktor turned to the rest of the squadron. "You've all been lumped here because your previous officers have told me about your attitude. Your behavior, and your apparent lack of confidence. I feel like I'm running a penal battalion for the behavioral challenged kids who can't fit in a regular school. I'm guessing that you've been in trouble with the law and at your homes."

Everyone looked up to their officer in surprise before nodding in agreement. Viktor continued his speech. "Look, I may not know how hard it is to be mentally challenged or socially rejected from society. I can tell you this: if you've all survived this training exercise, you will have new found confidence. All I am asking is for you all to improve on your teamwork and individual skills. Now before the actual training mission will begin, I will conduct training drills to get you all started." The pilots nodded in agreement. "Well then, get dressed and meet me outside! We're going for a run."

* * *

><p><strong>UNION MILITARY BASE<strong>  
><strong>UNITED STATES<strong>

Graham's flag was safely stored inside one of the hangars that was empty while Graham and Billy inspected the condition the Flag was in. The rifle was still missing, and so was the defense rod. It was still in its mobile armor mode, so it would be easily prepared in case Graham would have to sortie against the Gundams. Thirty minutes later, Yagan's new Flag joined its fellow unit inside the hangar, and like Graham's Flag, Yagan's unit was in mobile armor mode. Unlike the Flag stored inside, the Flag that came in was fully armed with a sonic rifle and a defense rod installed into the arm.

"Judging from the impact you took, the Gundam's output must be six times the Flag's output." Billy typed some new data into the computer.

"It's so powerful and agile at the same time. I wonder what propels that machine in the first place?" Graham asked.

"I'm guessing it's got to do with the light particles that emitted from the back of its engines. I wonder if it's got to do with the fact as to why our own radars were unable to pick up their presence," Billy countered back. A minute later, an old man with a crane appeared.

"More than likely, they're also used for their weaponry."

Billy was startled. "Professor Eifman! What a surprise."

"Looks like Old Man Aeolia was a very remarkable man. He possess technology that is ten to twenty years ahead of our present technology," Eifman continued to talk, giving Graham and Yagan an opportunity to listen to what he has to say. "What I'd like to do is to capture a Gundam and to research it. Even if it might take too long to do it, the benefits will be far more abundant."

"I completely agree, Professor," Graham replied back. "That is exactly why I need this Flag to be modified, and I don't care much for the Gs that this Flag will take if it was improved. However, I'd like to get it done within a week."

"Such a risk taker, eh? Then again, the prototype Flag was a unit that emphasized on risk taking while the prototype Blast was uninspiring. I'm surprised however, by the sudden interest in the Blast by UN diplomat Alejandro Corner," Eifman spoke back. Yagan shook hands with him. "I would assume that you want your own Flag modified as well?"

"Of course, Professor," Yagan answered.

"If we're courting a Gundam, then we need to be a bit more persistent." Billy and Yagan chuckled at Graham's comment.

"It's practically love at first sight for him," Yagan said. Suddenly, a beep was heard from Graham's phone as he answered it.

"Yes?" Graham answered it. "What!? What do you mean, Celestial Being has appeared? The Gundams are back? OK, so one unit is reported to have been spotted towards Taribia. OK, I'll take care of it." Graham ran towards the Flag, but Eifman called him out.

"Don't do it!"

"Professor, with all due respect, we have an ample opportunity to capture a Gundam right now," Yagan defended Graham's actions, but Eifman shuddered.

"If they're taking out the source of war like a cocaine field, then I don't mind them intervening. Additionally, I once tried narcotics when I was younger, and hated myself for getting addicted. It's the main reason why I have a deep loathing for such addictive drugs," Eifman answered back. Yagan heard his phone ring and picked it up.

"Lt. Crow speaking. Where? South Africa?" Yagan asked over the phone. "What conflict?"

"They're intervening in the South African Civil War over the mining rights and especially the Boer revolts there," a Union soldier stationed in the Gulf of Carpentaria answered over the phone. "Hold on a sec, we just learned that a Gundam has been spotted fighting HRL forces in the Philippines."

"Damn it! Our guerrilla friends would not like this at all," Yagan growled. He hung up and turned to Eifman. "The Gundams are appearing simultaneously."

"You both need to get stronger, and frankly, you'll need more help than just the two Flags that are stored in here right now," Billy assured the two aces.

* * *

><p><strong>CEYLON MILITARY BASE<strong>

The hangar where the engineers dragged what remained of the Kyrios's bomb rack had been recently rebuilt as a result of Celestial Being's intervention in Ceylon. Sergei stood in front of the hangar while Hye-In and Enrique walked towards him and saluted. Sergei returned the salute before gazing back at a different Jiachong with a construction equipment.

"So..." Sergei started as he turned to face the two soldiers who had just arrived. "I heard from Colonel Kim that you've both faced a Gundam and survived. What was it like?"

Enrique frowned. "We were lucky enough to survive, though the Gundam was rather powerful. None of our weapons were strong enough to make a single dent in the Gundam's armor."

"Yeah." Hye-In looked at the bomb rack. "We've brought our Tierens here through the transport carriers that escorted us here."

"You there!" the adjutant shouted to the engineers working on the bomb rack. "Give Colonel Smirnov and the two Ensigns a rundown on your discovery."

"Yes, sir." the engineer turned to Sergei. "It resembles a bombing rack for a mobile suit made out of E-Carbon."

"E-Carbon? So that's why we couldn't damage the Gundam," Hye-In spoke to Enrique, but Sergei hushed them.

"I don't think we've found any new evidence of advanced technology in this bomb rack. There is one other thing you should know about this: it carries a 300 kiloton missile that can destroy any target anywhere. By the way, no country or organization has manufactured this kind of bomb rack," the engineer continued to explain as his fellow engineers analyzed the bomb rack with their computers.

"So they're producing it on their own." Sergei turned to Hye-In and Enrique as they walked into another hangar where their Tierens were stored. "I was surprised to hear that you've not only survived the Gundam, but you didn't get hurt in the process."

Enrique nodded. "We were engaged in a counter-insurgency operation with pro-Union guerrillas when Celestial Being happened. The Gundam that attacked our positions in Subic Bay looked way different from the others that were shown on the news. It's like the machine wasn't even a factor in the first debut."

"So you're saying is that Celestial Being could have more Gundams?" Sergei asked again.

"I know this sounds far fetched, but we barely survived the Gundam's attacks. Can't say much about the guerrillas who fought against it as well," Hye-In added. Sergei saw the Tierens that were brought in to Ceylon from the Subic Bay naval base, and he was rather impressed by how the engineers maintained its condition. "We have the combat data we gathered from our fight with the Gundam."

Sergei continued to watch as Enrique followed Hye-In inside the hangar. In the coast of Ceylon, five HRL submarines and seven Shuichai mobile armors were anchored just outside the local naval base as its crew patrolled the seas to locate any incoming enemy forces. Eight surface warships soon joined the submarine fleet near the coast, presumably to help defend the island as well.

"There is something that I also wished to add," Enrique spoke sooner. Sergei turned to him. "We saw particles emitting from the Gundam. It looked bright, but I had trouble communicating with my fellow pilots when we engaged it."

"That probably answers my questions. Since you two have experiences fighting the Gundams, I would actually make a recommendation to Colonel Kim to put you two into a special unit, should he allow it. It will be in charge of taking on the Gundams and possibly capturing it. Of course, it would be nice if Colonel Kim could also add my own son and Ensign Kujo into this new unit as well." Sergei smiled at the two soldiers. "Speaking of which, how do you find Andrei? I take it that you two are close friends."

Enrique chuckled nervously. "Well, the first time we met, it wasn't off to a good start."

"How so?" Sergei grew curious.

"Well..."

(Flashback)

_A younger Enrique gritted his teeth in anger as he faced off against a burly but younger looking Ensign Chen. Both soldiers clenched their fists at each other, while spectators were cheering in the sidelines. Three HRL soldiers were cat calling and making crying sounds while Chen cracked his fists and swung it at Enrique, hitting him in the face, forcing the younger soldier to punch him in the gut._

_"What d'you call me, twerp?" Chen grabbed Enrique by the collar. "I would advise you to know your manners, Union lackey."_

_Enrique grabbed both of Chen's arms and kicked him in the back. "I called you a lunkhead, and this." He punched Chen in the face. "Is for talking shit about my family!"_

_"Fucking slave boy...I'll gut you good!" Chen roared. He suddenly grabbed a pocket knife, forcing Enrique to do the same thing._

_The two soldiers kept on punching each other while blood started to pour from their noses. Just as they were about to stab each other, Andrei budged into the ring and hurled them both into the ground. Chen was surprised to see him and shocked at how he simply stopped the fight. Yet he still grew angry and kicked Andrei in the gut before picking up his discarded pocket knife. He managed to stab Enrique in the stomach with the pocket knife, but not before the Filipino HRL soldier grabbed his own knife and slashed Chen's face with it._

_The spectators grew hostile towards Enrique and started to move towards him, intending to kill him. Seeing what was happening to him, ten other Filipino HRL soldiers ran into the commotion to help him out. All of the spectators and bystanders began to punch each other fiercely. In the midst of the brawl, Andrei tried to stop it, but he too was being pummeled by Chen's gang. Finally, Colonel Kim saw the commotion and fired his gun into the air while HRL military police intervened to stop the brawl._

_"Officers! Bring Chen and Alvarez into the holding right away!" Kim snapped. The military police grabbed both fighters as he turned towards the rest of the brawlers. "Six weeks of cleaning duty in the mess halls for you bastards! Your conduct is utterly disgraceful!"_

_"Those fucking lackeys over here tried to stop us from teaching that savage freak to respect his superiors!" the Thai HRL soldier protested._

_A Filipino soldier scoffed. "Some lesson! Do you still look down on us, fucking scum!?"_

_"ENOUGH!" Kim yelled. "Make that two months of confinement in barracks! Go back to your barracks, and in addition, you will all have your rations cut by half, no free time, no trips to the mall and most important, no pilot simulation time. Get out before I change my mind!"_

_Inside an underground cell, the military police placed Chen on one end of the cell, and Enrique into the far end of the other side of the cell. Andrei watched as the two offenders didn't talk to each other, but ten minutes later Colonel Kim arrived with a knife in his hand. Unlike the fight where there was so many spectators, Kim chose to let them vent their anger out on each other, hoping that they could learn a lesson._

_"So you two seem to love fighting each other rather than fighting our common enemies. I understand the animosity between you both; after all, Ensign Alvarez here should be viewed with suspicion because he might be a Union spy. Racism can still run deep, even in this era." Kim watched as the guards entered the cells while he dropped a large knife into the ground. "In that case, you two can finish where you started. Fight until one of you dies."_

_Enrique and Chen glared at each other before lunging for the knife. Enrique tried to grab the knife first, but Chen dragged him down, punched him in the face and grabbed the knife instead. He attempted to slash away at the Filipino HRL soldier, but Enrique responded by blocking the strike with his arms in a similar manner to a karate block. The Chinese HRL soldier was surprised to learn that his opponent knew a bit of karate, but he just gritted his teeth and kicked him in the back of the head._

_The two combatants clenched their fist and glared at each other. Both of them charged towards each other while the knife lay there on the ground. To Chen's surprise, Enrique grabbed the knife and attempted to slash at him, but he simply grabbed his wrists, twisted it and kicked him in the ribs. Enrique retaliated once again, this time by slamming Chen's head into the ground as a crack was heard. Blood started to pour from his head while Enrique's nose started to bleed again._

_"I'm surprised you knew how to fight," Chen growled. "Karate, I assume? Don't get too cocky just because you know karate. I know kung fu too, despite my rank as a red belt."_

_Enrique snorted. "I happen to be a blue belt, but I've trained in Japan."_

_"Well then, let us settle this once and for all!" Chen spun around and kicked Enrique in the face once again. He kicked the knife out of Enrique's hand, flunged him into the ground, picked up the knife and elbowed him in the chest. He wheezed in pain as Chen raised the knife, ready to kill. "Time to finish this."_

_"Not just yet!" Enrique headbutted Chen, but the two fighters began to feel exhausted. After they constantly punched each other in the face, gut and bashed each other's heads, both of them collapsed. Kim then summoned the military police and sent them back into their cells._

_"Are you two done? Let this be a lesson to you both: as long as you serve in the same military, you will put aside your personal grudges and act like comrades!" he barked. They were too exhausted to respond. The military policeman picked up the bloody knife while the medics arrived at the cells where the two fighters were incarcerated. "They need intensive medical attention immediately."_

_"Sir, aren't they supposed to be in confinement?" one military policeman asked Kim._

_"Yes, but after they're done with the medical treatment, they'll go back. After their sentence is finished, they will go on a remedial team building exercise along with Ensign Smirnov here." Kim pointed at Andrei. He turned to face him. "I know you tried to stop the fight, but at the same time you should have just called your superiors instead of trying to stop the fight yourself. You will join Ensigns Alvarez and Chen in confinement as well."_

_Andrei didn't answer back while Enrique and Chen passed out. They were carried by the stretchers as the military policemen escorted them out of their cells. The other military policemen opened the cell and beckoned for him to get inside, which he did. As soon as Kim and the military policemen were gone, Andrei took a nap inside his cell._

(Flashback end)

"You got into a fight with another soldier because you were stupid enough to fall for his taunts?" Sergei asked Enrique sternly. He nodded and the Wild Bear sighed. "Colonel Kim told me about that incident; I was shocked and disappointed to hear that Andrei was also punished."

Hye-In gasped. "Did that fight occur after you hung out with me and Alisa?"

"I'm afraid so, Hye-In." Enrique winced. "The confinement went by rather quickly, and none of us caused any trouble after that. Aside from having no visitors at all, we just took naps during our own confinement. It was after we got out that we started to really bond."

(Flashback start)

_Enrique, Andrei and Chen stepped out of their cells and went outside while accompanied by the military policemen. After their confinement was completed, the three soldiers were escorted into the barracks where Colonel Kim and an older looking man resembling Enrique stood. The unknown man shook his head when he saw Enrique, but Kim placed his hand on the older man's shoulder._

_"I'm terribly disappointed in you, Enrique," Joaquin Alvarez started to speak. "You're lucky that I convinced Colonel Kim here to not kick you out of the HRL military, or you would have done something crazy like joining your bastardo uncle in the jungle."_

_Kim turned to Chen with the same stern look. "And Ensign Chen: don't think that you're guiltless. You started this fight, and you allowed your prejudices to cloud your thinking."_

_"I couldn't trust the Filipino soldiers who joined our military!" Chen protested. He glared at Enrique first, and turned his glare towards Joaquin. "Half of the Filipinos here deserted to the pro-Union guerrillas while we were stationed here."_

_Joaquin sighed and looked at Chen. "I...don't disagree with your sentiment." Everyone looked at him in surprise. "It's true that there has been fights between the Filipinos here and the other Asian soldiers within the HRL. It is also true that some of them deserted, but only because of the abuse they endured."_

_"Well if you acted less like Union jerks, we would have respected you a lot more," Chen replied back, but Joaquin snorted. _

_"It's ancient history about what happened. The important thing is, you and the other two soldiers who were confined with you will take part in a special, remedial team building exercise. You three will go on patrols in the jungle to track down pro-Union guerrillas, and you will prepare your own gear. You will be provided with a rifle, a pistol, and enough ammunition to last you for say...a week," Joaquin explained._

_Andrei turned to the two soldiers who were confined with him. "Who'll lead them?"_

_"You will lead them," Kim answered back. Andrei nodded and saluted. "I expect a lot from the son of the Wild Bear. Good luck."_

(End flashback)

"I remember that incident rather well," Sergei responded. He spotted an HRL soldier running towards them. "What is going on?"

"Celestial Being has appeared once again," the soldier responded. "Headquarters has detected two locations where the Gundams are headed."

"Simultaneously?" Sergei asked again. The soldier was not finished, since he received a beep.

"Another two units appeared? Where?"

The response was hard to hear, but Sergei could make out the answer. "...Gundam...appeared...Subic...base..."

"The Gundam has appeared in our Subic Bay naval base!?" Sergei asked, frightened at the sudden reappearance of the Gundam in the same place that Enrique and his friends had fought in. "Notify Colonel Kim about it right away."

"Yes, sir. However, we have one more information about another Gundam appearing," the soldier continued. "It's headed here."

"Finally, a chance for us to fight the Gundam. It would be a different model from the one we fought." Hye-In turned to Sergei. "Could we sortie alongside you?"

"That would be helpful, Ensign Chang," Sergei replied back. Hye-In and Enrique ran into their Tierens' cockpit while grabbing their helmets.

* * *

><p><strong>WITH THE GUNDAMS<strong>

The Dynames stood at the top of the canyon overlooking the mines where several Workloaders with guns opened fire at him. Lockon just fired his beam pistol since there was no need to use the beam sniper rifle. His shots just disabled the Workloaders and tried his best to fire close to the surviving Workloaders, not damaging it too much that it kills the pilots.

"I don't like this. This feels too much like I'm the bully and they're my victims." Lockon kept on firing. "C'mon!"

More Workloaders arrived to fire at the Dynames, but Lockon was not worried. Within five minutes, the Workloaders dropped their rifles and retreated from the mines as the Dynames began to move slowly away from the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the Kyrios flew overhead a large cocaine field with a different bomb rack this time. The locals who grew the cocaine in their fields looked nervous at the approaching Gundam.

"Thirty minutes have elapsed since the last maneuvers," Alellujah told himself while the Kyrios prepared to open its bomb bay doors. "Kyrios, now commencing operation."

Several dozens of bombs popped out of the bomb bay door, striking its intended target and causing it to burn. The civilians just kept on gazing at the Kyrios as it flew away from the burning cocaine field and disappeared.

At the Subic Bay naval base, the Rasiel's appearance caused major panic as the garrison forces there scrambled to get into their Tierens. Among them, Ensign Chen and the Thai soldier who hung out with him put on their flight suit and climbed into their Tieren High Mobility units, armed with the Anti-Air Cannon pack. Two Tierens moved out of the hangars and into the airfield as they started to fire their rifles at the Rasiel, but Hixar responded by firing his beam rifle at them, causing the Tierens to explode once the shot struck the cockpit.

"We're on our break and the Gundam just appeared like that?" Chen complained. "Ensign Rakhamung, does the Gundam know the meaning of timing?"

"I don't think it cares about that!" the Thai soldier called Rakhamung replied back. They began to move outwards and fired their anti-air cannons at the Rasiel.

Hixar growled and fired the GN vulcans instead. "Damn it, with the particle tank instead of the GN Drive, I'm a sitting duck if I run out of particles!"

"Can you get them up close?" Hayana asked. Hixar nodded and grabbed the GN Beam saber as he blocked the shot coming from Chen's Tieren. "Anti-air missiles. These Tierens are literally armed with anti-air cannons!"

The Rasiel swung the beam saber at Chen's Tieren unit, damaging the arm and two left cannons while Rakhamung managed to land a direct hit on the GN shield. However, the Rasiel emerged unscatched as Hixar stabbed his Tieren at the leg, causing it to fall and Rakhamung groaned in agony when the Tieren landed on the ground.

"Damn!" Chen slammed his fist into the controls. "You may look different from the Gundam Enrique fought, but I'll get you right now!"

"Don't engage it directly, Ensign Chen!" Kim appeared a minute later in his Tieren High moblity type with the anti-air cannon pack as well. "Retreat into the mountains and support the Long Range Cannon units!"

"What about Ensign Rakhamung?"

"I'll defend him." Kim fired his cannons at the Rasiel, causing Hixar to dodge. "Just go!"

"Roger." However, the Rasiel caught up with Chen's unit and found itself taking potshots from the GN Vulcans as Hixar fired his beam rifle at the anti-air cannon pack, forcing Chen to jettison the damaged pack. "I'm hit!"

"This isn't good!" Kim told himself as he found himself dodging the beam rifle shots, but soon noticed that the Rasiel had a different drive from most of the Gundams. "Wait a minute, that Gundam doesn't have that cone which emits the lights!" He used the comm, but thanks to the GN Particles, the comm was jammed. "I can't even use the comms to relay my command."

Rakhamung managed to get out of the Tieren, but tumbled into the ground as he heard a sickening crack and winced painfully as he felt his arm break. Chen got out of his Tieren to help his friend out while more Tierens were shot down. Suddenly, the Rasiel slowly began to retreat from the battlefield once Hixar realized that it's out of particles.

"The pilot got away," Chen mumbled, but another explosion rocked the base. He gasped in horror as five Realdos appeared out of nowhere. "Guerrillas!"

"Where?" Kim pointed his cannons at a Realdo that just transformed, but the Rasiel apparently came back to take out the Realdos by stabbing them in the cockpit, killing the pilots inside. "I don't believe it. That Gundam also took out the guerrillas."

Back in Ceylon, Sergei climbed inside a spare Tieren that wasn't in use while Enrique and Hye-In were already moving towards another part of the military base. This time, they were equipped with the Long Range Cannon pack and a smoothbore gun to protect themselves. Once the two soldiers approached a hill overlooking the military base, they aimed their cannons at the Exia, which had just destroyed a Tieren Ground Type.

Two surviving Tierens opened fire on the Exia in response, but Setsuna merely dodged the shots. He easily dispatched the two Tierens that couldn't retreat, but found himself under long range bombardment from the two Tierens stationed in the hill. Suddenly, Sergei's Tieren started to move as he made a wild arm waving gesture that Enrique and Hye-In didn't understand at first, but soon realized that he was going to engage the Exia and he didn't want them to continue the bombardment, fearing that they might kill him by accident.

"At least they understood what my gestures were. Goes to show that we have to be creative when we can't rely on our comms." Sergei flew by the Exia and landed on the ground. He ditched the smoothbore cannon and grabbed the carbon axe. "Now, show me your power. Demonstrate it to me that you have the power to eradicate war!"

Setsuna ducked under the Tieren's axe and sliced the arm holding the axe, only for Sergei to latch his remaining hand on the Exia's head. The Gundam Meister tried to used his GN Sword to slice the remaining arm, but it could not slice.

"I'll take that head of yours!" Sergei shouted as he struggled to pry the Gundam's head off. He didn't notice the Exia's shield coming off until it was too late.

"Don't touch me!" Setsuna growled as he grabbed his beam saber and finally sliced the arm clutching on the Exia's head. He gave a war cry while the Exia disabled the damaged Tieren, causing it to fall down. "No one touches me." He turned his attention to the two Tierens perched upon a hill and engaged them in close range combat, disabling their long range cannons and slicing their units into half, but not before Enrique and Hye-In managed to get out of their units at such great risks. Setsuna decided not to finish off the Tierens, allowing the two soldiers to hide behind the damaged Tieren and waited until an HRL patrol unit managed to escort them back to base.

* * *

><p><strong>TOKYO, JAPAN<strong>

Andrei and Alisa waited for Saji to open the door to his house while struggling to carry the shopping bags containing merchandise that they bought in Shinjuku today. They noticed a dark haired teenager with a red scarf opening the door to his own apartment suite, perking up the two off-duty HRL soldiers their interest.

"Hello there. I guess we're neighbors. What's your name?" Saji spoke first. "I'm Saji. Saji Crossroad."

"Setsuna F. Seiei." Setsuna entered his suite without speaking further.

"That's a nice name, I guess." Saji turned to Andrei. "I wonder what's wrong with him."

"Beats me. He's like a much, darker version of Enrique," Andrei told Alisa, though she frowned when she turned back to Saji. They entered the house to see Kinue leaving. "Is something the matter with you, Alisa?"

Alisa scoffed. "That kid just gave me this weird look, as if he recognized me as someone else. I'm not sure about your new, mysterious neighbor, Saji. Anyways, Andrei and I bought a lot of stuff."

"Hello, Kinue," Andrei called out to her. She gasped as she hugged him. "It's been a while since our embarrassing interview that got nowhere. How are you?"

"I've been busy, thanks to Celestial Being. JNN's called me in to cover the latest story on what happened in the Philippines and Ceylon." Kinue noticed the frightened look on both Andrei and Alisa's faces. "Oh, right. You have comrades who are stationed in those places."

Andrei nodded. "Yeah. My comrades were in Ceylon when that happened, while we're having a fun time in Japan. Speaking of which, when can we go on a date? You know, without the paparazzi hounding us this time."

Kinue chuckled. "When I'm not busy, we can go on a date. I hear that there's a good European restaurant in Saitama and another one close to Kanagawa. They pretty much serve the same kind of food as the ones from your country, huh Andrei?"

"It's not exactly a Russian restaurant though," Alisa told her. She grabbed the brochure she picked up while they were in Shinjuku. "Sofia Restaurant is in the Chiyoda district. It's east of Shinjuku. There's the Zagorie Bulgarian Tavern that's close to Haneda Airport, but we picked up a ton of addresses for Russian restaurants in the Tokyo region alone."

"That's a ton of places for us to choose, right, Kinue?" Andrei kissed her hand, causing her to blush. "See you later." He turned to Saji. "I'm kinda hungry right now."

"Tell me about it. You two spent a whole day in Shinjuku, eh?" Saji suddenly heard his phone ring. He picked up the phone to hear Louise's voice on the other line.

"Saji, turn on the TV, quick!" she told him. Saji turned on the television and all three occupants gasped at the breaking news. "Looks like we have our history homework reduced to just the essay on the Solar Wars and energy crises, right?"

"The world is changing..." Saji whispered. He hung up the phone and looked at Andrei's shopping bag. "Look at these things!"

"Hey Saji, is it just me, or does the conflict in Northern Ireland seem to have ended already?" Andrei asked. They paid attention to the news reporter giving his detail on the conclusion of the centuries old conflict. "They're too scared of Celestial Being. That is why they stopped fighting. However, if Celestial Being disappears, they'll simply try to kill each other again."

* * *

><p>Crap, that was a rather long chapter, and I'm sorry if I had to add the violent part where Enrique was fighting. However, I will have to provide some advice.<p>

If you guys don't like it, I can always delete that portion and come up with a different dialogue, but it does give a back story to the OCs that I've created. It's like the thing I did with Alisa, and expect to have more flashbacks that give a background story on most characters.

Another character that is featured in Gundam 00 appears here, and it's two of them. Yagan Crow, the Solbrave pilot who is from Australia, and Viktor Leonov from the AEU. However, since I have all of Russia (plus Belarus and bits of Ukraine) as part of the HRL, I had Viktor's nationality changed from Russian to Bulgarian. Here are the Bulgarian phrases and their meaning:

"_Priyatno yadene_," (Bon appetit)

"_Blagodarya vi_." (Thank you)

"_Shto_?" (What?)

"_Ne, gospodine_." (No, sir)

"_Kakvo novo_?" (What's new?)

"_Gospodine, az s'm tuk za Leytenant Leonov_." (Sir, I am here for Lieutenant Leonov)

Until then.


	6. Stage Six: Surprises

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00.

* * *

><p><strong>Stage Six: Surprises<strong>

**WASHINGTON, DC**  
><strong>UNION TERRITORY<strong>

The White House still became the symbol of American power even in the last several centuries as many of the Union's members officially recognized the United States' authority over the entire Union as a whole. Though they are known for possessing one of the most advanced military in the world, the Union itself is most vulnerable when some of its member states are resentful of the US's regional hegemony over them.

Brian Stegmeyer not only functioned as the President of the United States, but also served as the President of the entire Union as well. Though the Presidency of the Union functioned as the rotating presidency, with a different leader from other member states appointed as the leader, real power lies with the US President, hence the growing resentment. Yet the Union could be described as a truly trans-continental alliance, as evident by the inclusion of the entire island nations of the Pacific, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, as well as Israel. However, Japan and Australia have a difficult time in securing their energy needs, primarily because of the Human Reform League's military presence in the Philippines. It is why the Union and the HRL constantly fought each other in the Philippines.

Right now, Stegmeyer and his assistants watched the HRL's news broadcast about the number of HRL soldiers that have died during Celestial Being's interventions. Outside his office, three Union officers waited for their turn to debrief their President on a growing political crisis in Taribia.

"So the HRL has bore the brunt of Celestial Being's interventions. I'm not surprised to be honest, and I would say the same thing Chancellor Zhao has said about them if 148 Union soldiers were killed as a result of their interventions," Stegmeyer told the assistant.

"I agree. However, I recently noticed that Celestial Being likes to take a trip to the Philippines, mainly because we've funded and aided the guerrilla groups who are fighting against the HRL's tyrannical rule," one of the assistants spoke back. He turned on a video clip of the Rasiel's engagement against the guerrillas' Realdos and the HRL's Tierens. "In addition, there might be a chance that Taribia would try to secede from the Union, hoping to provoke Celestial Being and our own forces into retaliating against them."

Stegmeyer frowned. "We've been getting anti-American protests in South America lately. Even after we continued to give them concessions, they still despise us. Perhaps it's time we stopped negotiating them and taught those uppity leaders who's the boss. However, even that might backfire on us greatly."

"Although we are making progress with the development of the new team that will take charge of the Gundam capture mission. With Professor Ralph Eifman's help and Lt. Graham Aker's leadership, they'll succeed before the AEU or the HRL captures a Gundam." the assistant heard a knock. He opened the door to reveal a light tanned man in a Union uniform. "Second Lieutenant Javier Alvarez here has been quite helpful with the rebellion against the HRL. Moreover, his brother is the HRL's second in command assigned to the Subic Bay naval base."

Javier Alvarez saluted. "Please to make your acquaintance, Mr. President. However, I bring terrible news from my homeland."

"What news?" Stegmeyer asked curiously, fearing the worst possible scenario.

"Half of our guerrilla force have been executed by HRL soldiers, while our contacts within the Philippine government were brutally purged on behalf of General Francisco Alferos, the man in charge of the present junta. Moreover, our candidate for the presidency has also been executed by HRL special forces," Javier told them. Stegmeyer massaged his head. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring this news much earlier."

"You did all right." Stegmeyer heard a knock. He allowed the assistant to open the door, revealing Amy Zimbalist's presence. "And it's good to see you again, 2nd Lt. Zimbalist."

"Thank you, Mr. President," Amy saluted to him and stood at attention. "Mr. President, I am honored to be in your presence. What do you require?"

"I see that you like to get straight to the point. Anyways, you already know about our mission to capture a Gundam, thanks to your reassignment to the Anti-Gundam Investigation Squad. What I'd like for you to do is to keep an eye on Lt. Aker. I suspect that High Command might make a mistake by placing someone like Joshua Edwards into the group," Stegmeyer explained. Amy saw the uploaded photo of Joshua in his Union uniform. "This fellow is related to the late Commander Sleg Sletcher, the man who was killed during a training exercise in which Mr. Aker took part. It would also help greatly if we can learn more about the recent financial success of Bell Factory since they were supposed to disband after their prototype Blast unit lost out to the Flag."

Amy nodded. "Mr. President, I could only talk to Cousin Mike about the Blast's sudden popularity, but I heard a rumor that it was one of our former pilots who expressed his interest."

The assistant narrowed his eyes. "And who would that be?"

"The famous Alejandro Corner himself. I met him a few times, and he seems to be a jolly good fellow," Amy answered. "If it's possible, I'd like to get back to my folks back in Mississauga before my assignment begins."

"Sure thing, 2nd Lt. Zimbalist." Stegmeyer showed Amy the door as the Canadian Union pilot saluted again and left. He also allowed the assistant to leave the President's office as he grabbed the phone and dialled a number.

"Can I get Langley on the line? I'd like to request assistance in removing a potential troublemaker to the Union as a whole."

* * *

><p><strong>CELESTIAL BEING MS CONTAINER<strong>  
><strong>MANILA BAY<strong>

Hixar and Hayana watched the broadcast of Chancellor Zhao's speech made in the Human Reform League, declaring his intention to fight the Gundams due to their actions that had caused many deaths. Three Haros worked on repairing the Rasiel while five additional Haros supervised the recharging of its GN Particle Tank. As soon as they were done, the two Meisters walked towards the hangar where the mobile suit was being stored. Suddenly, Hixar heard his phone ring and picked it up, only to hear Echo Calore's voice on the other line.

"Hey...uh, Hixar? Could you help me out here, please?" Echo pleaded. Hixar could hear Fon's insane laughing over the comm. "I couldn't handle this anymore! That crazy bastard doesn't give a damn about what we're doing here!"

"Have you talked to Chall about Fon's behavior? Because I sure could use the 0 Gundam's GN Drive instead of the unreliable GN Particle Tank that I'm stuck with here," Hixar responded. He could hear Sherilyn Hyde's frustrated yells as well as Fon's banter with him. "Could I please talk to Fon?"

Echo sighed. "Sure thing." He threw the phone to Fon, despite the zero gravity.

"Hello, Fon. Since Echo politely complained to me about your lack of focus on Celestial Being, can I please take your GN Drive and install it on the Rasiel?" Hixar asked sweetly, but Fon snorted.

"You gotta be kidding me, right? As if I was gonna hand over this GN Drive to you. How in the holy hell did you end up with the main crew if you don't have a functioning GN Drive? To me, that is a million dollar question that can't be answered. So, hell no, I won't hand it over!" Fon yelled back.

The white haired Meister growled. "You're not doing anything useful and Echo's constantly complaining about his lack of action."

"He ain't a Meister. Speaking of which, how is your unit's performance?" Fon asked again. He suddenly turned around and saw Chall floating towards him. She grabbed the phone and talked.

"We've received the combat data that you've gathered from your engagement with the Tierens and Realdos. I must say, you've improved your skills a lot, and this is coming from a former Meister," Chall smiled. "You may be in luck though: Fereshte has finally gotten its hands on one of the prototype Union Blast units that was created in secrecy. There's a computer terminal where you can take a look at the data that I will give to you."

The picture of what appeared to be the Union Blast was uploaded, but its rifle was rather different. A huge engine booster appeared on its back and it's painted in a custom black and yellow paint job. The most important of all was its flight mode, as evident by how it's positioned to attack. Hixar looked at the unit and whistled.

"There were three Blast units that were manufactured as a result of the Observers' efforts in acquiring this unit. Of course, we owe our thanks to Mr. Corner who managed to bail out Bell Factory, but in the process he managed to recruit one more agent into Celestial Being," Chall continued to explain.

"It's the founder of Bell Factory, right?" Hixar asked again.

Chall nodded, but turned to see Echo grinning with excitement. "I wouldn't get too excited if I were you, Echo." She turned her attention back on the phone. "Yes, Michael Jennings has become one of our new agents. However, I don't know if he's as reliable as Laguna Harvey though. From what I can gather through tiny tidbits, Mr. Harvey's a sleaze ball."

"True, but isn't Harvey a Celestial Being agent?" Hixar looked at his watch. "Just tell me when the Blast will arrive."

"Unfortunately, we have to relocate the Rasiel's container to a more, secure location. Because the Blast cannot travel underwater, we will have the container moved to Corregidor Island." Chall and Hixar hung up the phone.

Forty five minutes later, the container that remained underwater began to move slowly while taking great precaution to avoid detection by any HRL submarines equipped with sonar. The container continued its slow pace as it exited from the two coastal defenses erected in Corregidor Island until it surfaced. Hixar watched from the monitor as the container landed safely inside the bottomside of Corregidor Island. An hour later, a mobile suit in its flight mode flew overhead and transformed into its mobile suit mode before landing inside the container.

"Who's piloting that thing?" Hayana asked. To her surprise, a small sized Meister emerged from the Blast and Hixar noticed that when she took off her helmet, she had the same hair color as Hayana. "Hermiya?"

"Gundam Meister 838?" Hixar approached the newcomer. Hermiya nodded. "I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you'd be on standby."

The girl called Hermiya smiled. "VEDA recommended to me that I join you and Hayana because you don't have a GN Drive for your unit. The Blast is yours, though it's given the CBNGN designation."

"Can we play tag now?" Hayana asked her counterpart, to which Hermiya nodded. Both girls started to chase each other around the hangar while Hixar went to his room and picked up a pair of knitting sticks and a yarn.

(Flashback)

_A younger looking Hixar Fermi was with a white haired pregnant woman as her red haired husband came back from a shopping trip down on Earth with several shopping bags in his hand. He looked inside the shopping bag to see a pair of knitting needles and several rolls of yarn while the pregnant Gundam Meister handed him a book. She also picked up her own pair of knitting needles and began to attach the yarn to one of them._

_"I really need help with making some baby clothes for our daughter. I'll teach you how to do it," Marlene Vlady told Hixar. He nodded excitedly and watched her knit. "First you build a foundation row of stitches on the needle by casting the loops."_

_"OK." Hixar looked at the yarns since he was confused as to which color would he use. "Marlene, what color of the blanket did you have in mind?"_

_Marlene gave him a yellow colored yarn. "This color fits us and our baby girl rather well."_

_Both Hixar and Marlene started to knit the various baby clothes the new baby will need as Ruido watched from the doorway. A younger looking Chall Acustica chuckled and went towards the two knitters as she picked up a spare knitting needle and joined them. It took a couple of days to finish the blanket that Hixar made, while Marlene's new baby bonnet was finished in two days. Ruido looked at the clothes that the Meisters made and laughed._

_"I didn't know you had a talent for knitting. Say, can you make me a scarf?" Ruido asked Hixar after he put down the baby blanket in the nursery._

_"OK. What color?" Hixar pointed at the remaining unused yarns._

_"Blue would be nice. Pink is also perfect, but you can knit a sweater from that," Ruido suggested. A minute later, Marlene entered the nursery and kissed Ruido and hugged Hixar after._

_"Good old Hixar's getting better at this than I am. Do you think we'll let him design our wedding clothes, as well as the official uniforms for Celestial being?" Marlene asked her husband. She winced in pain as she felt her stomach kick. "She's getting too rowdy, Ruido."_

_"Don't kick your mommy too much, munchkin," Ruido told the baby inside Marlene. He kissed her belly while Hixar yawned. "Poor guy...he must be tired. Say, what are you knitting?"_

_"A sweater." Hixar smiled. "I wanna give this to your baby girl when she's older."_

_"How nice!" Marlene exclaimed. Hixar got up from his chair and left the nursery, but Marlene picked up the incomplete sweater and gave it to the white haired Meister. Hixar hugged both expectant parents and went into his room._

_Two months later at a Celestial Being infirmary in Krung Thep, Marlene screamed in agony as she laid in her hospital bed, struggling to give birth to her newborn child. To make sure that she wasn't distracted, Ruido and Hixar were kept out of the delivery room and waited in a small room. Ruido noticed Grave Violento's arrival into their room with a medium sized bag in his hand. The black haired Meister grabbed three plastic cups and a sparkling apple juice from the bag while Ruido opened the bottle. The new father poured the drink into three cups and toasted._

_"Ahh...being a parent is so exciting!" Ruido grinned. He put his hand on Grave's shoulders and laughed. "Just wait until our little girl is all grown up. She'll accomplish lots of things and fall in love with a suitable man. I'll be the guy who could either bless my future son-in-law or break his legs."_

_"Assuming that the suitor has joined Celestial Being," Grave responded. He patted Hixar in the head and smiled. "You on the other hand, will be the baby girl's big brother or uncle or whatever you want to address yourself as."_

_Hixar nodded. "Yeah." Dr. Moreno entered the room with a smile on his face. "Is she OK now?"_

_"Of course. Congratulations, Ruido. Your wife just gave birth to a healthy baby girl," Dr. Moreno announced. He turned to Ruido and Hixar. "You two can also come and see Marlene's new daughter."_

_The three men entered the delivery room where Marlene held her newborn daughter. Chall entered the room a minute later to congratulate the new mother, but frowned when she saw Grave and Hixar. The white haired Meister handed the completed knitted blanket to Marlene, who wrapped it around her new daughter._

_"You know, I've been thinking. We should obviously name our daughter, but since she's now born as a member of Celestial Being, it's necessary to give her a code name," Chall explained. "What do you think?"_

_Ruido nodded in agreement, along with Grave. "Yes, for obvious reasons."_

_"How about Feldt Grace as her code name?" Chall suggested. The two new parents nodded and Chall clapped her hands. Hixar left the delivery room for a while, but came back later with several boxes wrapped in Christmas wrappings. "Oh, Hixar! I didn't know you were still giving presents!"_

_Hixar handed each gift to Chall, Ruido, Marlene and Grave while Ruido left the delivery room and came back a while later with his own Christmas presents. Like Hixar before him, Ruido handed out his presents to everyone who was inside the delivery room. Chall and Grave did the same thing, and after they opened their presents, Hixar volunteered to clean up the mess they made when they opened their gifts._

_As everyone expected from Hixar, Ruido received a scarf, two mittens and a bonnet while Marlene received a yellow sweater that Hixar made before he started to knit a pink sweater. Grave and Chall received the same set of presents from Hixar, though they also got new phones that he purchased while he was on vacation in Australia. In turn, Hixar received a book titled "Chicken Soup" from Marlene, a brand new laptop from Grave and an apron from Chall._

_"Merry Christmas, everyone," Chall told them as they nodded in agreement._

(end flashback)

In another container, several Haros were busy repairing the Gundam Kyrios as Allelujah and Lockon finished watching the HRL's televised speech. Lockon appeared with an orange Haro in his arm. Allelujah looked at his phone, hoping for it to ring.

"Didn't you hear? The Real IRA has declared a ceasefire. It looks like the world is looking at us in a favorable light." Allelujah frowned at Lockon's overt optimism.

"If Celestial Being disappeared, then the conflicts will just start again. Our goal is to eliminate war, but it's not that easy," the tanned skinned Meister told Lockon. "Besides, I'm tired."

"Well, get some shut eye while you can, because we're going to be a hell lot busy in the next couple of days," Lockon advised him.

* * *

><p><strong>TEHRAN, AZADISTAN<strong>

Once upon a time, Azadistan was an important oil exporter to the rest of the world. Despite the UN sanctions that was imposed upon the nation when it was still the Islamic Republic of Iran, the nation endured. The First Solar War changed everything, and for fifty years Azadistan prospered greatly from the high prices of oil and natural gas. Unfortunately, when the oil embargo was imposed upon the Middle Eastern nations as a result of the declining oil supplies, most of these nations' economies declined and wars were often fought to settle the score once and for all. New nations were formed and disbanded constantly, and Azadistan was no different. Most notably, Azadistan's territorial expansion came at the expense of the former Republic of Krugis and the site of the war that Soran Ibrahim once fought in.

In the streets of the Azadistani capital, a chain of explosions broke out in the city streets as sirens could be heard from the palace. A dark haired woman watched as flames erupted from a burning building while a brown haired woman with a pair of glasses entered the room. Though both women could not hear it, sporadic protests were often heard and riot police were forced to deploy in order to protect the palace from the raging mob.

"Well, Princess. It looks like the waves of terrorist attacks have finally reached the capital," Shirin Bakhtiar told the black haired woman. "We need to push the reforms through before the moderates unite with the conservatives."

"Indeed," Marina Ismail replied back. Since the Azadistani Majlis voted to reinstate the monarchy after its previous republican government fell, Marina felt the political pressure from both sides. "Our nation has been too reliant on fossil fuels, and the oil embargo has made it worse for us."

Shirin added. "However, since we did not participate in the construction of the solar reactors, we have no right to obtain solar energy from the three superpowers. In addition, the Majlis have decided not to pursue the renewal of nuclear energy due to the unpleasantries that have occurred in the 21st century."

"I'm under pressure to accomplish one objective, and only one objective. If the civil war continues, then _they_ will appear," Marina said bitterly.

"The private armed organization, Celestial Being," Shirin concluded. Just then, a knock was heard. "Who is it?"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. The Turkish ambassador is waiting for you to speak to him," a bodyguard announced. Marina and Shirin went out of their room as a light skinned man with a fez on his head bowed to them. "His Excellency, the Turkish ambassador to Azadistan."

Marina shook hands with the ambassador. "Thank you for coming. I didn't expect to see you here, Mr. Ambassador."

"_Sultanam_, Ms. Bakhtiar," the Turkish ambassador began. "As you are aware, my nation is offering assistance to your country but we can only give you food aid. We are not running a charity here, and the Turkish Republic has grown resentful of the AEU's racism against us just because we happen to be one of the only three Muslim states inside Europe. Though our relations with the HRL have slightly grown, our own military is itching to get rid of the pro-AEU government. I don't know how the AEU will react, but I fear Celestial Being's intervention."

Shirin smiled. "Any aid would be welcomed, Pasha."

"Of course. There's also our previous offer to build a biogas power plant in Isfahan, and have you thought about it? We will invest in its construction and in return, you just export whatever consumer goods you can produce from us. We will resort to a barter system in light of your economic hardships," the Turkish ambassador explained.

"While we remained committed to the construction of a solar generator in our nation, we are willing to open up the possibilities of other energy sources. However, our government is deadlocked with this issue," Marina explained. The Turkish ambassador heard the explosions and frowned. "I don't know if we could accept the offer because of possible terrorist attacks."

The Turkish ambassador nodded. "Be advised that this offer is open and there is no expiry date. I will take my leave now." He turned towards Shirin. "If possible, Azadistan must be prepared soon."

"Why?" Shirin asked curiously.

"Remember what I told you about the Turkish military and our own public's resentment against the AEU? We're going to secede from the AEU and become a neutral state. We will be in a position to help Azadistan a lot more." The Turkish ambassador nodded and left.

* * *

><p><strong>HUMAN REFORM LEAGUE HEADQUARTERS<strong>

Since the HRL's engagement with the Gundams in Ceylon, Colonel Kim was relocated to the top HRL headquarters in continental Asia while Enrique's father took charge of the Subic Bay garrison and its naval base. Sergei stood in front of him as the Korean officer reviewed the reports that his Russian counterpart gave him. In the hallway, a white haired girl waited outside the door with Captain Vhong assisting her.

"Well, judging from your reports, it seems to me that your engagement with the Gundam is rather interesting," Kim told Sergei after he was done reviewing the report. "I guess you heard Ensigns Chang and Alvarez's stories about their engagement."

"Yes, sir. In my personal opinion though, I don't think there is a single mobile suit that can win in a fair fight against the Gundam, and not even the most talented of the aces within the HRL can take on a single Gundam and expect to survive," Sergei replied back.

Kim frowned. "Its performance is that overwhelming?"

"More powerful than we've ever seen before." Sergei paused as Kim looked at the door before turning his gaze back at him.

"Well, it looks like my decision to summon you here was a wise decision. Colonel Smirnov, your mission is to capture a Gundam before the Union or the AEU does. You will be assigned a team to do so, though there are four soldiers that I am willing to assign to you, along with an officer as well. The rest of the personnel, you may select them at your discretion. However, there is one of the four soldiers that I should entrust to you." Kim heard a knock. "Come in."

The white haired girl marched in and saluted along with Captain Vhong. "Excuse me, I am Lt. Soma Peries from the Super Soldier institute."

"Super soldier?" Sergei was uneasy about the term 'super soldier'. "I thought that project was disbanded."

"We decided to keep the project going in secret though. However, I will not assign Ensign Smirnov to you though, seeing as how you and your son don't get along rather well," Kim replied back. He gave Sergei a folder containing sensitive information. "You'll be pleased to know that Ensign Alisa Kujo will be under your command. She may not be as talented as her older sister, but she's not tainted by any incidents at all."

"Is Ensign Kujo a good choice for our team, sir? She could be just as reckless as Andrei is," Sergei asked back. He looked at Soma and Captain Vhong before looking back at Kim. "Given the fact that my wife once mentored both AEU tactical forecasters, I can't help but feel concerned that Ensign Kujo might pressure herself to perform better than her older sister. On the other hand, I haven't heard anything from Lt. Bedelia yet."

"That is true. However, I will assign Captain Vhong to give Andrei's new orders to him. She will personally fly into Japan to where Andrei is staying and deliver his new mission orders. She will have to do it incognito since your son is staying at the residence of JNN reporter Kinue Crossroad." Capt. Vhong received the folder from Kim. "He, Ensign Chen and Ensign Rakhamung will serve under Colonel Alvarez, and they'll be placed in a Special Forces unit. Though their objective will be to capture the Gundams, they could capture it, by hook or crook."

Once Capt. Vhong and Soma left the room, Kim turned his attention back to Sergei. He uploaded an image of what appeared to be a Tieren, but painted gray. It had a different set of armaments, and it is holding a carbon spear, similar to the old Fanton. Though the most important feature of the different Tieren was its ability to equip itself with different kinds of weapons pack, it also has a pincer looking shield.

Another image popped up after the photo of the prototype Tieren disappeared, displaying what seems to be a more advanced version of the anti-aircraft cannon pack installed into a regular Tieren. Unlike the anti-aircraft guns that was built into the anti-aircraft cannon pack, the new weapons system had two cannon on both shoulders and a pair of gatling guns was mounted on the shield.

"Are the engineers trying to integrate both the anti-aircraft and long range cannon's systems into a single weapon?" Sergei asked after Kim shut off the screen. "They'd be better off making the gatling guns more mobile instead of the cannons since the former takes a short amount of time to reload."

Kim nodded. "I agree. That is exactly why I needed your son and two of his friends into this special unit aside from yours: they have the experience and the ability to tell our engineers what kind of weapons the Tierens will need. I was thinking that instead of the two cannons in the shoulders, the engineers can design a prototype bazooka that can fire an anti-armor shell strong enough to dent a Gundam's shield."

"E-Carbon is much harder to damage, Colonel," Sergei objected. "The Gundam with the heavy sword witnessed it, much to the enemy pilot's chagrin."

"I am aware of that. The shells are not totally meant to damage the Gundam, only to throw it off balance. With your son and his subordinates-" Kim started, but Vhong and Sergei interrupted him.

"What do you mean, 'subordinates'?"

"I also forgot to tell you that your son has now been promoted to Sub-Lieutenant." Kim retrieved the folder Capt. Vhong had in her hand and showed it to Sergei. "Should he be successful in capturing the Gundam, he'll not only get a two rank promotion, but he'll also be assigned his own team."

Vhong sighed. "If Colonel Alvarez will take charge of him, why can't you send them to Serbia?"

Sergei nodded in agreement with his Vietnamese colleague. "That is true. Our garrison there is on constant alert, both for the AEU forces that might invade again, and Celestial Being's potential intervention."

"All right, you both may take your leave," Kim said. He did not say another word after Capt. Vhong and Sergei left his office.

* * *

><p><strong>UNION HEADQUARTERS<strong>

A different looking Flag stood inside the hangar on the same spot where the regular Flag used to stand. There were several major changes made into the customized Flag in terms of its armor and armament, most notably a different kind of rifle on its left hand. More importantly, the custom Flag's body frame was skinnier and it is coated with the anti-beam paint that will enable Graham to survive a hit from the Gundam's beam shots. Yagan's Flag however, remained the same.

"What did you add into that new beast, Professor?" Yagan asked curiously. He felt uneasy and a bit jealous that he didn't get any upgrades on his Flag at all.

"Well, the anti-beam coating is added, as well as improved joints. For weaponry, I procured a prototype rifle from Iris Corporation. Since this unit was being modified, Bell Factory thought that they could steal the competition and incorporate any new features into their failed unit, most notably the linear rifle and a much thicker armor," Professor Eifman explained. He turned to Graham and Billy with a worried look. "Even with the anti-G system activated-"

Billy finished Eifman's sentence for him. "You'll still feel 12 Gs when you turn. Are you sure you're OK with that?"

"If I have to trade pilot safety for a chance to defeat the Gundams, that is the risk I will have to take," Graham replied back.

"So that is the Lieutenant's flag," a voice called out across the hangar. Yagan and Graham turned to face two familiar faces who were with Joshua in Alaska. The new pilots saluted to the two officers present, reciprocating their response as well. "Warrant Officer Howard Mason and Master Sergeant Daryl Dodge. We've been assigned to the Anti-Gundam Investigation Team, as per your request, sir."

Graham saluted back. "I welcome you both new Flag Fighters into the squad." He suddenly heard running steps as Amy panted and saluted. "May I introduce Amy Zimbalist, your new squadmate. You three will serve under my command with Lt. Crow as my second in command."

"Pleased to meet you. Hopefully you may have heard of me," Amy shook hands with Daryl and Howard. He turned back to Graham and saluted again. "Lt. Aker, I am wondering if Professor Eifman here has inspected my Flag unit so far. I requested for an improved set of armor for my unit."

Professor Eifman shook his head. "A bigger set of armor would only slow you down, and seeing as your piloting skills are questionable, I'm surprised to hear that you've been assigned to this team."

"He's not the only one assigned to the famous Graham Aker, you know," another voice called out. This time, the voice sounded feminine, and sure enough, a redheaded woman with a mole on her face appeared. Howard and Daryl raised their eyebrows as her blue eyes had captured their gaze and Yagan tried his hardest not to blush. The woman saluted to the two officers and Billy. "Sergeant Major Deborah Galiena is my name, and I'm also assigned to the Anti-Gundam Investigative Task Force. However, I am also assigned as this team's mobile suit inspector."

Billy smiled at her. "It's good to hear that our team's getting a mobile suit inspector. Tell me, Sergeant Major. What do you think of the customized Flag that Lt. Aker here will pilot?"

Deborah walked around the customized Flag with a curious glance. She looked at the prototype rifle before turning her gaze towards the head and noticed that the Flag's frame was skinnier, and when she looked at the back of the customized Flag, she was rather unimpressed with the backpack. After Deborah finished her inspection, she faced both Billy and Professor Eifman with a rather neutral mindset, though it could border more on the negative side.

"I am not gonna lie to you both, guys. This Flag is literally like a double edged sword in the hands of an ace. While you've improved its speed, the Gundam's pilot will still find a way to counter the anti-beam coating. Furthermore, the prototype rifle has some weaknesses that I haven't seen yet. Overall, if we can get enough combat data from the Flag's engagement with the Gundam, we'll definitely learn more about the issues this unit faces. I may not have any clue as to how the Blast fails to impress in its mobile suit mode, but I sure am hoping that this unit won't end up being discarded," Deborah commented.

"We're well aware of the prototype rifle's issues, and that is why we've recommended you as the mobile suit inspector. As an experienced test pilot, you have some insight on what should be added to the Flag," Graham told her. He turned to Amy and grinned. "Also, if you can inspect Mr. Zimbalist's piloting skills, perhaps you can tell him what he sucks on and he'll improve right away."

"Amy Zimbalist, eh? Let me guess, your cousin is Bell Factory's CEO?" Deborah looked at Amy as he fidgeted. "You know, I'd be interested in testing the Blast as well, if you can convince Mr. Jennings to loan the decommissioned Blast to us."

Amy chuckled. "I'll see what I can do. Judging by your voice, you must be a Newfie, right?"

"Nope, from Halifax, Nova Scotia," Deborah answered back in a sweet voice. She saluted to Graham and Yagan before wagging her finger, indicating that she wanted to invite Amy over. "Let's go get a drink, shall we?"

"You got it." Amy and Deborah walked away from the hangar after they saluted once again.

(White House, Washington, DC)

"Did you see the news, David? It appears that Celestial Being is offered the position of the global policeman," Stegmeyer asked his assistant. After they watched Chancellor Zhao's speech over the television, the Union grew concerned about possible additional military activities of their Asian rivals. Moreover, after the Union's President had finished his conversation with Javier and Amy, he held secret meetings with members of the CIA and NSA. "What do you think?"

The assistant beamed. "That's a wonderful idea, and unlike the UN, Celestial Being doesn't take any payment at all. It's a win-win situation for both the Union and Celestial Being." However, Stegmeyer sighed in sadness.

"All of humanity and the nations it inhabited have blood on their hands. I doubt that anyone will consent to the idea of working with Celestial Being." Stegmeyer heard a knock on the door as an adviser entered the office. "It'd better be good."

"Unfortunately, you're wrong in that matter. Taribia is set to make an announcement tomorrow, and our contacts at the Union's embassies in various AEU member states and non-aligned nations heard rumors of a similar announcement being made by Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey," the adviser told the President. Stegmeyer uploaded the map of the Union and looked at where Taribia is located.

"Did you make contacts with the people at Langley, as I instructed?"

The assistant nodded. "They should arrive at your office within fifteen minutes."

"Excellent. You two may go." Stegmeyer pointed at the door, indicating that he wanted to be alone for a bit. Both the assistant and the adviser left his office without a word.

* * *

><p><strong>CARACAS, TARIBIA<strong>

The audience gathered inside the conference room where the Taribian Prime Minister stood at the podium, ready to make his intentions known to the world. Several dignitaries from the rest of the Union watched nervously as his rhetoric became hostile, while Taribian policemen were on the lookout for potential assassins. Around the world, people are watching this televised speech and in the Turkish capital of Ankara, the Turkish military who ditched their AEU uniform for the olive green uniform of the former Turkish Army when it was still a sovereign state.

"The Union consists of over 50 member states, but in fact it functions as a dictatorship by the US!" the Taribian Prime Minister declared. "The United States as the leader of the entire Union, controls the distribution of solar energy to the rest of its members but hoards the biggest supplies to itself and its Canadian neighbor! Our generation has endured the constant diktats that this despicable nation has imposed upon us, and as the leader of this nation, I say no more. Therefore, the Republic of Taribia declares its independence from the Union and claims its independent right of access to solar energy. If any nation brings political or military pressure to bear, then the Taribian Republic will respond with military force."

All of the audience applauded after the Prime Minister was finished with his speech, but as he decided to continue with a new portion of his speech, a Taribian officer came to the side of the conference room and brought a single piece of paper to be brought into his attention. When an adviser interrupted his speech by presenting the paper the officer sent, the Taribian Prime Minister simply grabbed it and read its contents. He suddenly grinned and turned to his audience once again.

"It seems to me that fate has not only smiled upon us today, but it has smiled upon similar minded nations within the AEU when they were inspired by our courageous actions. As of today, the Turkish Republic has declared its independence from the AEU, along with the Greek Republic. Moreover, the new Turkish government has decided to acknowledge our independence and today, the Turkish ambassador to Taribia is here to present her credentials to us."

A light skinned woman wearing a formal business attire befitting her status has stood up and shook hands with him. The Taribian Prime Minister then looked at the flashing cameras, prompting the female ambassador to do the same thing. Outside the Taribian capital, various civilians began to demonstrate in favor of Taribian independence while waving Taribian flags at the same time. Although the riot police did not do anything to contain the demonstrations, the Union soldiers stationed in Taribia made their way towards the border. When the Taribian demonstrators saw the Union soldiers leave, they began to throw projectiles towards them.

However, when one Union soldier who looked nervous and scared at the growing hostility from the crowd, he panicked and accidentally pulled the trigger on his M-16 rifle, killing one civilian dead in the chest. The rest of the crowd screamed at the Union soldiers as the rest of the nervous soldier's comrades pointed their guns at the demonstrators, shooting at the sky in hopes of dispersing the crowds, to no avail. One Union officer screamed at the Taribian riot police to do something, but they simply did nothing. When the Union soldiers finally reached the Brazilian border, the Brazilians took them in and watched as relatives of the dead protester shouted obscenities at the Union as a whole.

**(Washington, DC)**

President Stegmeyer watched the violence unfolding in Taribia with horror and shock as he saw the footage of one protester shot dead by that nervous looking Union soldier. He massaged his forehead, wondering if he can take any more of such tragedy. It was only thirty minutes before he was set to address the Union Parliament in Richmond, Virginia on the Taribian crisis and how the Union will intervene to prevent it from spiraling out of control. However, the Union's President had also received disturbing news that the AEU has gone out of control when Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria declared their secession from the AEU and pledged to either remain neutral (in Turkey's case) or to install a pro-HRL government (in Greece's case).

The Parliament where all heads of their respective states had gathered looked rather unimpressive for what was supposed to be an important government institution where all functions of the federal government worked. Yet for a dull looking grey building, the Union Parliament House was large enough to house several departments that cater to the functions of the Union as a whole, ranging from the Department of National Defense to the Department of Agriculture.

All of the heads of the Union's member states stood as Stegmeyer entered the assembly and the Taribian seat was empty for obvious reasons. Without hesitating a bit further, Stegmeyer began his speech as the heads of their states sat down and listened.

"Since the 21st century, the Western Hemisphere has worked towards building an influential community that strives to protect freedom and democracy, as well as the rule of law. Though the United States has dominated this Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations, it strives to share its responsibilities with any nation willing to shoulder its burden. However, the Taribian political crisis has launched an open debate on whether or not that the Union could be a respected superpower due to an unusually large amount of Latin American states that has bore a deep seated grudge against the dominant power. I do not speak of the two non-American states of Australia, New Zealand and Japan that have so far, remained astonishingly loyal to the Union, but I can speak of other nations that have neutral opinion of us." Stegmeyer could not help but hear a small set of boos from the audience.

"Yankee go home!"

"Down with the United States!"

"Order!" a Canadian speaker shouted to his colleagues to calm down.

Stegmeyer continued. "In light of the Taribian secessionist challenge towards the Union, I am calling for a vote on military and political intervention, and if necessary, to enforce a regime change."

The word 'regime change' only brought out furious screaming matches from the Latin American delegations as the Canadian and Australian speakers struggled to keep the parliament assembly calm.

"We are with Taribia in this case, for our nation too, has suffered immeasurably from American machinations!" a Cuban delegate snapped at Stegmeyer. "Trade embargoes and sanctions that your nation has imposed did not break our will! Your external military intervention destroyed what's left of our nation!"

"For Christ's sakes, let the man finish!" the New Zealander delegate shouted back.

"Thank you." Stegmeyer continued. "As I was saying, we will not resort to such drastic policy yet. That being said, all in favor of military intervention? Keep in mind that Taribia could blackmail us with its proximity to the orbital elevator."

The Canadian speaker began to count the number of hands raised in favor of intervention. To both Stegmeyer and the Canadian speaker's shock, only the delegates from Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan, American Samoa, Tonga, Colombia and Jamaica voted in favor of intervention. Yet the majority of the delegates voted against military intervention, forcing Stegmeyer to raise his hand as a gesture of defeat. However, the Union leader was not about to give up.

"In that case, the military intervention will be carried out by nations that only voted in its favor. Those of you who opposed the intervention will not have to participate in the intervention," Stegmeyer told the rest of the delegates. He and the Canadian delegate left the assembly hall as the rest of the anti-interventionist Latin American delegates soon walked out as well. He turned to his advisers who remained at his side. "Get me the top Union military leaders from the nations that voted in favor of military intervention."

* * *

><p><strong>TOKYO, JAPAN<strong>

Andrei and Alisa decided to take a tour around the Japanese capital since Saji and Louise had class that day, though their tour was interrupted by an employee from the HRL's embassy. As soon as the two off duty HRL soldiers arrived at their embassy, there was an influx of activity going on. Embassy staff members were on the phone, talking to their counterparts in Taribia while an HRL officer arrived to greet and escort them into the military briefing room. Once inside the embassy compound, Andrei was told to get inside and for Alisa to wait for him. When the younger Smirnov finally saw the screen activate, he was surprised to see Capt. Vhong and Colonel Kim's faces and saluted.

"At ease, Sub-Lieutenant," Capt. Vhong started.

"Yes, ma'am." Andrei paused before the word 'sub-lieutenant' was registered. "Sub-lieutenant? I'm still an ensign."

"Not until three days ago, Sub-Lieutenant Smirnov. Since your father is forming a new team to capture the Gundams, we know that you would prefer to work away from him. That is exactly why Ensign Kujo will be assigned to the new team while you will lead Ensigns Chen and Rakhamung in completing the same mission objective, which is to capture a Gundam before the Union or the AEU does," Kim explained. "In addition, I will also assign Lt. Bedelia and Ensign Fiennes to your team. She just came back from her secret mission that is no longer a secret. I will then explain what her role really was."

Andrei began to listen, but not before Capt. Vhong started to talk. "Lt. Bedelia and Ensign Fiennes worked as undercover agents infiltrating the Filipino resistance groups fighting against our presence in the islands. We pulled them out of the mission when they told us that there's going to be a planned coup against General Alferos's authority around the same time as the Taribian crisis."

"Not only that, but the Union leadership has planned to install Javier Alvarez as the new coup leader. Ever heard of him, Andrei?" Kim asked Andrei. He shook his head. "He's related to your friend Ensign Alvarez. In fact, he's Ensign Alvarez's uncle and Colonel Alvarez's brother."

"So why would there be a coup if the Taribian crisis in unfolding?" Andrei asked back. "Celestial Being's still going to intervene."

"You are right, and the main reason would be that if we have multiple crisis occurring at the same time, we could seriously challenge their doctrine of eliminating war. In reality however, we hoped to lure any more of their Gundams so we can capture them. Recall the incident where our Subic Bay garrison encountered two different Gundams that didn't look like the ones we've encountered so far. That is what we're trying to accomplish here," Capt. Vhong answered back. "Anyways, summon Ensign Kujo here at once."

Andrei nodded and went out of the door to beckon for Alisa to get inside. As soon as the two off duty soldiers were back inside, Capt. Vhong addressed Alisa first.

"Ensign Kujo, it is a great pleasure for me to announce that you've been selected to join Colonel Smirnov's new team. He's assembling a new team that will try to capture a Gundam, and he's chosen us for the task. Mostly everyone except for Sub-Lieutenant Smirnov, Ensign Chen and Ensign Rakhamung," the Vietnamese officer addressed Alisa. She was shocked and stunned at the same time. "That is why I've decided to keep Sub-Lieutenant Smirnov in Japan through our embassy here while you will report to Colonel Smirnov at Heaven's Pillar garrison base."

Alisa sighed and saluted. "Understood, ma'am."

"Great. You'll also be introduced to a Super Soldier who will join your team. I hope that you can get along with her better than your older sister," Capt. Vhong replied back. The comm shut down and the two off duty soldiers exited from the room.

"That was rather unexpected. Just give me your shopping bags and I'll hand your presents to Enrique," Alisa offered. Andrei nodded in agreement while another embassy employee escorted them out of the embassy building, but not before handing him a folder. "Lucky you...are you going to stay in Saji's house for your mission?"

Andrei looked at the contents of his new folder and shook his head. "They've assigned a new apartment suite for my team. It will serve as a base for my own team. It's just across from the Crossroad residence."

"Just don't stay too long with Saji though. I really can't stand that blonde bimbo hanging around him though," Alisa looked at her watch and gasped. "Damn it! I've gotta pack up and report to your dad in like, a day and a half!"

They soon returned to Saji's house but this time Louise was not present. Neither was the anti-social young man with the red scarf that Andrei and Saji encountered a while back, though Alisa didn't mind. Once they were inside, Kinue had just finished preparing dinner for everyone present as she stepped out of the kitchen. Andrei gave her a hug before patting Saji in the back.

"Kinue, I might be staying in Tokyo a lot longer," Andrei began. Saji gasped in surprise. "However, I can't divulge the real reason though."

"Really? I guess it's because of Celestial Being. They seem to be on every news media these days," Saji complained. Though both Andrei and Kinue agreed with Saji's sentiment, they didn't have any response at all.

Alisa on the other hand, grinned. "So I get to join your dad in space and kick some Gundam asses. How many Gundams are we gonna capture though?"

"I am not sure yet, and why do you sound so excited to be working with my dad?" Andrei grew annoyed at Alisa's cheerfulness.

Kinue sat down on the dining table and waited for everyone else to start. "Why don't we start dinner?"

"That's fine," Saji answered back. "Are you going to help me and Louise with our homework if we asked for your help?"

Andrei smiled back. "I can only give you guys tips though, but other than that, you'll have to do a lot of studying. I should know; I had to learn the same thing you did when I was in high school."

"I don't envy you though. Anyways, JNN's got a lot of work to do on the Taribian crisis, and all of our reporters are deployed outside the country for interviews with the Taribian politicians. Seems to me that I might head out too," Kinue explained. She gave Andrei a copy of a newspaper article about Taribia. "Taribia is close to the orbital elevator. Do you think they'll try to drag Celestial Being into this conflict?"

"It is possible, but the Taribians might just be the ones who would seriously compromise Celestial Being's doctrine of stopping war. I recall in our history lesson that gas pipelines were the primary cause of the First Solar War," Andrei answered back, much to Kinue and Saji's confusion. "It all began with a revolution in Ukraine to overthrow a dictator that escalated out of control. Combine that with the former NATO's attempt to obliterate the Russian Federation that ended up not only in disaster, but humanity has lost around four billion people as a result of the nuclear weapons exchange. Though the world's population has grown back to six billion, we're still divided."

Saji nodded. "We have a term paper about the energy crisis and its relations to the Solar Wars though, so are there any books that I need to get for such a paper?"

"I would suggest that you look into the various forms of energy first and how they affect the entire world," Andrei suggested. He looked at the watch and sighed. "I'll move into the new suite after today though."

"That's nice, although you'd be just as busy as Kinue-nee-san though." Saji picked up the article that Andrei discarded. The HRL soldier finished his meal and walked towards the door. "Have your belongings arrived yet?"

"Probably. I'm sharing the suite with three other members of my new team though, and it's not like we're running a spy ring or something." Andrei heard a knock on the door and Kinue opened it. A dark haired man with civilian clothing bowed to her and saluted to Andrei. "Who are you?"

The newcomer smiled. "Hello, Sub-Lieutenant Smirnov, sir. I'm Ensign Mehmet Sudirmann, and I've been told to report to this new address here."

"Who else is with you?" Andrei asked back. He got his answer sooner when Chen and Rakhamung arrived five minutes later. "Oh joy. It's you two."

"How are you doing, comrade Andrei?" Chen asked before he turned towards Kinue. "Holy crap! You lucky dog!"

"What is it?" Saji appeared on the doorstep. "You three must know Andrei much since he seems to be familiar with you."

Rakhamung nodded. "Damn right. Let me guess: you're not a soldier."

"Of course not." Everyone turned towards Setsuna who went out of his apartment suit. "Who is this guy?"

"That's Setsuna. He's our neighbor. Setsuna!" Saji called out to Setsuna who simply turned around. "Are you going out somewhere?"

"I can't say," Setsuna replied back. Chen sniggered to Rakhamung before turning to Andrei.

"That kid gives me the creeps. He's basically like your friend Alvarez, only more anti-social. How do you put up with him?" the Chinese HRL soldier whispered to Andrei, but Setsuna merely walked away. "Is he always like this?"

"Pretty much. Well anyways, I've gotta go to work. I'll see you around." Kinue hugged Andrei before shaking hands with the rest of the newly arrived HRL soldiers. "Take care."

* * *

><p><strong>WITH THE GUNDAMS<strong>

Although the Dynames and Kyrios left their base, the Exia took the longest to catch up with them. The Rasiel on the other hand, did not move from its container as Hixar and Hayana waited for further orders while Hermiya was busy playing with the Haros present. Just then, the screen popped up inside the waiting room, forcing Hayana to yank Hixar by the scarf as the news was on.

"In other news, the Turkish military has seized Parliament in Ankara and arrested the leading members of the current Turkish government. One of the coup leaders proclaimed that Turkey has now officially seceded from the AEU and is pursuing neutrality. This announcement came mere hours after Greece staged its own coup against the pro-AEU government and replaced with a pro-HRL, far-right government under the same kind of military leadership." Hixar paid attention to the news broadcase, but he was interrupted by another pop up of the screen.

"Hixar? Are you there?" It was Chall's voice on the other line.

"Chall? What is it?" Hixar asked.

"VEDA has new orders for you. You are to take the Rasiel and launch an armed intervention in Greece and Turkey. There's no doubt that the Greeks and Turks are imitating the Taribians and plunging the entire AEU into chaos," Chall instructed. She showed Hixar the map of Greece and Turkey. "VEDA has predicted that Turkey will deploy its Hellions and their newly acquired Anfs fitted with anti-aircraft cannons. I suggested to Ms. Sumeragi to deploy the Virtue to assist you in this case."

Hixar nodded. "Acknowledged."

Hixar and Hayana ran towards the hangar where the Rasiel was stored, with Hermiya taking over as the container's communications officer. The Rasiel came to life as Hermiya supervised its deployment, and by the time the Rasiel exited from its crater, Hixar pulled the lever as his mobile suit increased its altitude. Just then, Hermiya's face appeared on the screen as Hanaya fell asleep.

"Hixar, Hixar," Hermiya chirped.

"What is it? Hayana is sleeping right now," Hixar replied back.

Hermiya chuckled and smiled. "The Virtue is fast approaching your position."

"Thanks for letting me know." The Rasiel spotted the Virtue and raised both of its hands as Tieria narrowed his eyes at the approaching Gundam. "Tieria."

"Is it just me, or is the entire world seriously thinking about testing our patience?" Tieria asked back. For some reason, he felt irritated. "We have three Gundams over Taribia already, and another coup in the Mediterranean has stretched our limits."

Hixar frowned. "Do you think they're trying to capture our Gundams by triggering multiple conflicts?"

"That won't stop us," Tieria said coldly. As soon as the Virtue and the Rasiel descended from the skies, they spotted a couple of Hellions opening fire on them. "We'll just have to eliminate them."

The two Gundams approached the Sea of Marmara where the Bulgarian and Turkish Hellion units began to engage them. Inside a Bulgarian Army outpost within the adjacent of the Bulgarian-Turkish border, Viktor Leonov and his AEU contingent found themselves held at gunpoint from Bulgarian soldiers who defected to the newly revived Bulgarian Reformed Military. Leonov himself raised his hand, furious at how he felt betrayed by the coup leaders that were responsible for the crisis in the first place.

"_Gore rutsete_!" a Bulgarian soldier snapped at the remaining prisoner who was too nervous.

"Don't you idiots realized that Celestial Being is coming!?" Viktor yelled back. "How dare you stop us from doing our duty?"

A Bulgarian Reformed Military officer snorted. "We had enough of those stuck up bastards. I'm surprised that you haven't switched sides yet."

"I belong to the AEU," Viktor said defiantly, but a BRM officer entered the room.

"Celestial Being has engaged our troops! They're attacking everyone in sight!" the BRM soldier yelled. To show that he wasn't lying, all of the BRM troops who kept Viktor and the AEU contingent as prisoners were led outside the outpost and saw a Hellon explode. On the Turkish side of the border, three Hellions were shot down by the Rasiel as a Turkish warship was blasted into oblivion by the Virtue.

Five Turkish Anfs began to bombard the Virtue with their shells and bullets despite the uselessness of their ammunition in piercing the Virtue's E-Carbon armor. Tieria was unfazed by the amount of bullets that have bounced off the Virtue's armor as he aimed the GN Bazooka at the immobile Anfs until the GN Bazooka erupted to life, taking out its intended targets with a huge shot. Once the Virtue's firepower was exhaused, Hixar inside the Rasiel began to fire its beam rifle at the incoming Hellions that hoped to take advantage of the Virtue's immobile stance.

"Just how long until you can get your unit back up again!?" Hixar grunted. While the Rasiel could take the hits coming from the Hellions, he could only hold out for a while until his GN Particles run out. "Incoming enemy forces!"

Tieria gritted his teeth. "They won't get away."

The Virtue and the Rasiel aimed their beam weapons at the Hellions that began their descent towards them. Hixar switched to his beam saber and slashed his way through the fallen Hellions while Tieria fired the GN cannons on the Virtue's shoulders. As soon as the last of the Turkish Hellions and Anfs were damaged, the two Gundams proceeded to leave the area, but not before they came under attack from the Bulgarian squadron flying from their base in Lesovo.

"Now all we need to do is to mop up the remaining forces, but you'll have to retreat, Hixar," Tieria instructed.

"Yet my container is still in Manila. How could I conserve my energy while traveling?" Hixar asked back.

"Just go underwater." The Rasiel began to dive towards the water as the Virtue aimed its cannons to the side and spun around as Tieria continued to fire upon the Hellions that remained on the ground. Once all of the enemy units have been eliminated, Tieria left the battlefield.

**(Taribia)**

A Union naval armada sailed towards the Taribian coast with their Flags mobilized and ready to deploy. All of the Realdos and Flags have taken off from their air fields in Colombia and have gained control of the Taribian airspace. On the ground, Realdos painted in Taribian orange have hidden themselves from the Union forces flying overhead with the buildings used as covers to hide the Realdos. Off the coast of Taribia, the US Navy's carrier and destroyers have readied their guns in anticipation of the conflict that was to take place.

An hour into the Union-Taribian armed standoff, the Exia flew right past the carrier, creating a small panic. The Dynames and Kyrios split off into different directions, heading towards the major Taribian cities where the bulk of the Taribian Army have stationed their mobile suit force. In the skies a few kilometers away from the Taribian coast, Graham's custom Flag flew overhead while being escorted by five regular Flags, though Amy's Flag unit was wobbling. Yagan couldn't help but feel sorry for the man who was a complete wreck inside a Flag.

"Lt. Aker, one of our warships have detected a Gundam just now," a Union naval officer told Graham.

"Roger that. Do you know which way they're going?" Graham asked back.

The naval officer nodded. "Caracas, Maracaibo and Guayana City are the intended destinations."

"Geez, I thought the Taribians would also take care of their eastern provinces as well. In that case, we need to return back to the carrier for refueling," Yagan instructed. "Lt. Zimbalist, try to be less clumsy when you land."

"That, I can do, Lt. Crow," Amy replied back. Suddenly, he spotted what appeared to be a long, pink beam erupting from the sky. "Guys! The Gundams are attacking!"

"What are their targets?" Deborah asked Amy and Graham. It took five minutes to find the trajectory from the origin to the destination. The answer she got, was shocking.

"The Taribian mobile suits. The Gundams are attacking the Taribian mobile suits!"

The Exia descended from the sky after it fired its beam rifle, to the surprise and horror of the Taribian pilots. Once Setsuna reached the ground, he aimed the GN Sword towards the Taribian mobile suits. As soon as the Exia moved towards them, the Taribians began to open fire upon the Gundam, even though their shots have no effect on the unit.

Meanwhile, the Kyrios came under fire from the other Taribian units and fired its beam rifle in response. All of the Taribian units engaging the Kyrios were destroyed. Finally, the Dynames fired its beam sniper rifle towards the surviving Taribian units. Lockon was not pleased that the Taribian government took advantage of Celestial Being's doctrine of armed intervention for its own ends.

"I'm not amused at what you've tried to pull here. Taking advantage of us without permission is unforgivable," Lockon said as the Dynames began to retreat.

"Hey Lockon," Allelujah spoke up as soon as the Kyrios caught up with the Dynames. "Don't you feel that this is a complete, one-sided thrashing scenario?"

"Unfortunately, you are right. Hey, what's going on with Setsuna?" Lockon noticed that the Exia wasn't present with them. To make matters worse, the Flag fighters spotted them, forcing Lockon to evade the sonic rifle shots. "Union Flags? What are they up to now?"

Yagan, Amy and Deborah flew past the Dynames and moved towards the Kyrios, forcing Allelujah to dodge their shots. Lockon grabbed his GN Pistols and fired back at the Flags, but Deborah grabbed her sonic saber and swung it at the Dynames. Allelujah then grabbed his own beam saber and slammed it into Yagan's sonic saber.

"So this is how it feels to fight a Gundam. Impressive." Yagan spotted Graham's Flag move towards the Exia, but it's going faster than their own units. He suddenly received a message from the Union military command. "Well, I'll be damned to hell."

"What is it?" Amy asked back, but his erratic movements caused him to feel dizzy. He felt something explode after the Kyrios fired its beam rifle at him, and looked at the damaged shoulder of his Flag unit. "Crap! I'm hit!"

Deborah scoffed. "That's just minor damage, darling."

"Well guys, it seems that the Union and Taribia are close buddies once again," Yagan told them. He kicked the Dynames in the chest and transformed into fighter mode with the sonic rifle aimed at Lockon. "Let's bag us a Gundam!"

"That, I agree," Amy replied back, but his unit suddenly lost altitude. "On the other hand, maybe not."

"Lt. Zimbalist!" Howard Mason called out over the comm as soon as his Flag transformed into its mobile suit mode and grabbed Amy's unit. "Let's get you back to the carrier."

"But what about Lt. Aker?" Amy asked back.

Darly Dodge flew by. "He's got it. Lt. Aker, that blue Gundam is yours!"

"Thank you, Daryl. I must say, President Stegmeyer's decision to help Taribia is a godsend to us," Graham replied back. His custom Flag soon caught up with the Exia but had no trouble dodging its beam shots. Graham continued to fire its sonic rifle and finally hit the Exia's shield. Setsuna merely responded by going underwater. By the time his subordinates caught up with him, the Exia was gone and so was the Dynames and Kyrios.

Yagan flew beside Graham and paused as they looked down into the ocean where the Exia dove. "That Gundam surprised us once again, Lt. Aker."

"On the positive side, this Flag managed to stand up to a Gundam and I even managed to land a hit on its shield," Graham replied back. "However, the Gundam pilot must have either guessed that we cannot pursuit him due to our low fuel gauge, or he just got lucky."

Deborah chuckled. "I'd bet on the latter, Graham."

* * *

><p>Well that was rather long and it will probably take you guys a long time to finish reading this. Now I've expanded on the Taribian conflict simply because I wanted to throw some more geopolitics as well as current events into the story, and I've made references to the Euromaidan.<p>

Now with regards to OCs, I felt that having PoVs from the grunts who served in the military will make a better story than following canon from Celestial Being's PoV. With that said, I've also introduced someone from Gundam 00I: Hermiya, the Innovade who looks like Hayana and Hanayo.


	7. Stage Seven: Battleground

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00.

* * *

><p><strong>Stage Seven: Battleground <strong>

**KRUNG THEP**  
><strong>A.D. 2307-2308<strong>

The entire crew of Fereshte gathered around to watch the recent conflict in Taribia, with the Exia being engaged by the Flag while the Dynames and Kyrios fought the regular Flag units. Echo Calore turned to another video of the Rasiel and Virtue engaging the Hellions and the Turkish acquired Anfs in the Bulgarian-Turkish border but Fon wasn't satisfied with just the study session he was 'forced' to go into. Chall on the other hand, was worried about Hixar's frustration with regards to the Rasiel's limited operation time.

"That's one, insane specs for a customized Flag!" Echo told himself before Fon yawned. "Just what is your problem, asshole? If you're not willing to study hard, then get out!"

"OK, take these off then." Fon showed his handcuffs. However, Echo winced at the sound of his suggestion.

"Out of the question." Echo growled back after Fon continued to laugh. "Still, the speed of that new Flag and how it blew past the Exia, we Fereshte members might have to face that thing as well."

Fon clicked on the remote control as another image was uploaded. "The first shots that were fired were rapid-fire shells. They're not meant to hit the Exia directly, but to merely catch it off guard. They're trading firepower for an ability to attack first, so if the Exia is caught off guard, they can deliver the final blow to that machine."

"Well, it still doesn't explain the new rifle that thing possessed!" Echo protested, but Fon ignored him.

"The power of this new linear rifle is rather high, giving it a greater amount of strength and speed. Unfortunately, the downside to this is that it needs additional time to recharge. So if it misses, there won't be a second shot, and that is where the Exia has a window of opportunity," Fon continued to explain. "Before you can say it's nonsense to guess the velocity of the linear rifle's shells, let me tell you that I can see things no ordinary man can."

Echo grew uncomfortable at Fon's apparent knowledge of the Flag. "Even with the power of the linear rifle, that Flag is way too fast! I wouldn't exactly call it a harmless thing!"

"True, but there's another catch to that new Flag." Fon uploaded a new photo of the custom Flag. "The fuselage seems unchanged, but it also has an enlarged flight unit. My conclusion to that, dear old man, is that its armor must be paper thin. To decrease its weight, they just took off the armor. The Exia kid's made the right choice of going underwater."

Fon looked satisfied at Echo's lack of response to his explanation, though it did not last long. After a few minutes, Echo regained his posture and acted confident once again.

"Your claim that the Gundam can go underwater is baseless! If I was a Gundam Meister, I'd never approach the water." Chall and Sherilyn entered the room with Hanayo on her hand.

"Then let's test that counter-claim of yours, Echo. VEDA has just given us a new mission." Echo clenched his fist in anticipation of a new mission. "Fon Spaak! You'll sortie in the Gundam Sadalsuud Type F. Hanayo will give you your mission plans."

Echo groaned and glared at Fon as he continued to laugh. Ten minutes later, Fon climbed inside a dark blue colored Gundam with what appeared to be binders in its back while Hanayo waited for further instructions. While the Sadalsuud was being prepped up, Chall and Echo returned to the conference room and pressed a button. Hixar's face appeared on the screen, causing Echo to sigh in relief.

"Hey Chall. What's wrong with Echo?" Hixar asked curiously.

"Thank goodness you're not insane like Fon Spaak," Echo cried.

Chall ignored him and turned towards the white haired Meister. "I take it that you've had a successful intervention in the Dardanelles?"

Hixar nodded, though his expression changed immediately. "Chall, I received a mission plan from VEDA about the new mobile suit test that the HRL is about to perform, but only Lockon and Allelujah are allowed to go. I'm still on standby and Tieria's complaining that he can't get to Earth as quickly as possible, so he's stuck on Earth with me at the moment."

"Is Tieria around?" Chall asked him. Tieria soon appeared beside Hixar. "Thank goodness you're OK, Tieria. Ms. Sumeragi's been keeping you Meisters busy."

"Chall Acustica. I do not wish to question your sanity, but what is the point of having a criminal Meister with an explosive necklace on his neck? That man's clearly unstable," Tieria explained. "Furthermore, since the Rasiel's operation time is limited, I am forced to conduct my interventions on the surface with Hixar Fermi here."

Chall nodded in agreement, but massaged her forehead. "We cannot do anything right now, Tieria. Fon's about to give support to Lockon in Heaven's Pillar with the Dynames using the Torpedo Pack. We just had a discussion on whether or not the Gundam could approach the water, so we're testing Echo's claim that he wouldn't go near the ocean in a Gundam."

"It's no wonder why he was booted out of the roster for the main Meisters. He clearly has no clue, though I don't like having Fon around either," Tieria answered in a stern voice. As soon as the Sadalsuud disappeared from Krung Thep, Chall turned her attention back to Hixar.

"One more thing, Tieria. The HRL has established an outpost in Japan, and I can only assume that they're using that base to launch their operations to capture a Gundam. Ever since the Taribian conflict, the superpowers are getting more desperate to trigger conflicts around the world. In fact, VEDA is predicting a potential armed intervention mission right now." Chall uploaded the map of the Human Reform League for Tieria to see. "My guess is that the Union is trying to incite a coup d'etat in the Philippines against the pro-HRL regime there, and if that civil war grows worse, then it will spread to the other nations within the HRL."

"They may also try to capture a Gundam in that scenario, but since we're talking about the Union and the HRL, it's a competition to see how many Gundams they get first," Hixar said to Chall. "With your permission, I'd like to get back up to space with Tieria."

Chall nodded. "Agreed. We already have enough Meisters on the surface, and the Ptolemaios is in need of extra support. Besides, it's about time for you to meet up with Feldt again."

Hixar smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I wonder how she's doing though. I hear that Christina's been moody lately."

"Well, just ignore her and you'll be fine." Chall shut off the screen.

* * *

><p><strong>TOKYO, JAPAN<strong>

Andrei was surprised at the presence of his new team who appeared in the same apartment building where the Crossroads lived, but what was shocking to him was Alisa's sudden departure from the Japanese capital and her absence made him a bit more secure with his new teammates. Chen became less arrogant but more brash since he heard that he'll join his Russian comrade, while Rakhamung wanted to get away from the insanity that is the Filipino tropical climate and the newcomer Mehmet Sudirman was unsure of himself.

"Guys, our team has been formed for one purpose only: to capture the Gundams. However, we've also been approached by Capt. Vhong to become test pilots for the next Tieren model that is about to be released. Our Tokyo base will be used to monitor possible Union and Celestial Being movements in the Pacific, but the military base where we'll test the Tierens will be in Sakhalin Island," Andrei explained.

Chen grumbled. "I thought that Taiwan would be much better than that frozen wasteland. My cousin has a villa just outside the Taiwanese capital."

"We're not there to relax, Ensign Chen. You don't even get to have a vacation leave just yet," Andrei reminded his Chinese subordinate. "Although who's your cousin?"

"Wang Liu Mei." Everyone gasped at Chen's answer, though Chen himself was not happy. "She's the leader of the Wang family since my older cousin Hong Long is a useless jackass, and I have no family left."

"Man, you're lucky! Can I take her out on a date, please?" Rakhamung made a puppy eye look at Chen, but he grabbed him by the neck. "Hey! What the-"

"I'm not gonna let you just screw around with her! She's filthy rich! We grunt soldiers aren't paid enough-" Chen started, but Andrei covered their mouths.

"We're in an espionage post, so keep yourselves calm!" Andrei whispered harshly. He turned to the newcomer who had arrived a couple of hours ago. "And what about you, Mehmet?"

The Indonesian HRL grunt soldier fidgeted before gaining his posture. "I was just assigned here, that's all."

"OK, but that doesn't explain why you have a Turkish name when you come from Indonesia," Rakhamung pointed out. Andrei and Chen nodded in agreement.

"My mother is the sister of the Turkish ambassador to Azadistan, so we come from a long line of diplomats. In effect, expert bluffers," Mehmet answered back. He narrowed his eyes at his teammates. "Where can I find a halal grocery story in this city though?"

"Since we've just began to know each other, how about we go out for dinner tomorrow?" Rakhamung offered, but Andrei handed him the mission folder. The Thai HRL soldier opened his mouth in shock after he finished reading it. "We have to go to Yuzhno-Kurilsk by tomorrow?"

Andrei nodded. "Four Tieren High Mobility Type Bs are stored in that abandoned military base there, and it's rather close to Hokkaido. It would be a couple of hours for us to fly from Shari to Narita though, so we have to report to the local commander there by 1000 hrs on Friday."

The four HRL soldiers present looked at the map that was enclosed inside Andrei's mission folder and spotted the area where Yuzhno-Kurilsk is located. In addition, there were four plane tickets included as well with one for each soldier, as well as four train tickets. Once Andrei handed the tickets to his subordinates, he went out of the door, only to see Alisa, Saji and Louise carrying their small luggage.

"Hey Saji, how come you're going with Alisa?" Andrei asked his neighbor. "She's going to Heaven's Pillar."

"So are we. Louise and I have this field trip at the orbital elevator, and Alisa is also going there as well. I thought that it'd make more sense for us to go together," Saji replied back. Alisa waved back at Andrei before she suddenly glared at the other three soldiers under his command.

"Don't tell me these buffoons are your new teammates!" Alisa growled, but Chen merely smirked and waved back at her.

Rakhamung laughed. "Sorry, Kujo. You, Hye-In and that Alvarez kid got replaced. Don't worry though; if Andrei bags a Gundam, we'll join you."

"Right." Alisa gave her Thai colleague the finger as she, Saji and Louise walked towards the elevator.

(HRL Orbital Elevator, Heaven's Pillar)

Alisa and the two high school students arrived inside the orbital elevator, but the crowd inside was smaller than the last time she had gone up. Immediately, she spotted Hye-In and Enrique waving at her as they embraced each other. Once Sergei appeared behind Enrique, Alisa saluted to him which he returned with his own salute. She handed Hye-In the merchandise she bought in Tokyo and also gave Enrique what Andrei bought for him. In another spot inside the elevator, Kinue and Saji checked his bags to see that he didn't leave anything behind.

"You didn't really have to come and see me off, sis," Saji told Kinue.

"I had some business to take care of, and Andrei told me that he has business to conduct in the Kurile Islands." Kinue's expression changed. "Now Saji, study hard up there. You may have gotten a scholarship, but I have to pay for the ticket. This isn't a vacation, you know?"

Saji sighed. "I'm sorry for the extra fuss, but Louise wanted a private seat."

Kinue grew annoyed. "Little rich girls really do like to be spoiled, don't they?"

"Hey there, Kinue!" Louise waved at the Crossroads. "Don't worry about Saji: I'm more than capable of taking care of him, if you know what I mean."

"Nice to see that Saji won't get hurt," Kinue chuckled nervously. Her serious gaze returned again. "Just don't do any funny business with Louise either."

"Oh, don't worry about that. Saji is totally clueless about anything, so he wouldn't know how to do funny business with me either. He's just too innocent for that." Louise's comments made Saji groan with embarrassment.

Kinue went up to Saji and whispered into his ear. "Honestly, I'm starting to question your sanity about this girl. Is she really a good girl for you, Saji?"

"Kinue!" Kinue turned around and spotted Alisa. They embraced each other before Enrique and Hye-In followed her. "I wanted to introduce my friends to you."

"There's no need for introductions." Kinue pointed at Hye-In. "I was there when she gave her last concert and Saji bought her CDs to listen to."

Hye-In groaned. "Great, just what I need: another fanboy."

"Saji isn't really that bad, you know. Even if he's viewed as a loser type of guy who only has one girl going out with him because she feels sorry for him," Alisa assured her friend.

Kinue then turned her gaze towards Enrique. "Your dad's been on the news lately. He's the one who's working for General Alferos, right?"

"Of course, and you must be Andrei's secret lover," Enrique blurted out, causing Kinue to blush and for Alisa to grab his ear. "Hey!"

"You just don't assume that a woman could be someone's lover!" Alisa screeched, but Sergei walked towards them. She stammered and stood at attention. "I'm sorry, Colonel."

Sergei shook his head. "You really need to control yourself, Ensign Kujo." He looked at Saji and Kinue with an interested look. "You work for JNN, right? Miss Kinue Crossroad, I presume?"

"Yes, Colonel Smirnov. Is there something that you want? I can give you an interview right now," Kinue offered, but Sergei shook his head again.

"I'm just here for my subordinates." Sergei smiled warmly towards Kinue as he took her aside. "How's Andrei doing? You already know that I'm his father."

Kinue nodded. "Andrei's actually calm when he's around us though. Although I have issues with those meatheads that moved in with him back in Tokyo."

"Really? Who are they?" Sergei's interest continued to increase.

"There was this Chinese guy who boasted about being related to Wang Liu Mei, the famous socialite and this southeast Asian looking kid who acted like an idiot. Finally, there is this guy who reminded Saji of his next door neighbor who also moved in. Though our new neighbor doesn't talk much, he mostly keeps to himself," Kinue explained.

"That must be Andrei's new teammates, and of course, I can't divulge any details about what he's going to do on the surface." Sergei turned around to see Soma arrive inside the orbital elevator. "There's my new subordinate."

"I'll inform you about Andrei some other time," Kinue replied back and left the orbital elevator station.

Alisa looked at Soma as soon as she and her friends walked towards her while following Sergei at the same time. Enrique's mouth opened in awe as Hye-In looked at him reproachfully before smacking him in the back of his head.

"The paperwork's done, so there's no problems." Sergei beckoned for his three subordinates to come closer. "This is your new teammate, Lieutenant Soma Peries. She's a super soldier from the superhuman institute."

"Super soldier!? Wow! I can't believe this!" Enrique's eyes shone as he clapped his hands together. "Lieutenant, how many guys can you beat up in a minute?"

Soma's expression didn't change. "I don't understand your question, Ensign."

"He's just being an idiot, as usual," Alisa laughed nervously before she glared at Enrique. "Are you crazy?"

"It's my first time seeing a super soldier, and I'm kinda envious that she's way stronger than I am. Perhaps if I started to work out while using steroids, I can be just as strong as Lt. Peries here." Enrique pointed at Soma, though the super soldier shook her head.

"Steroids alone will not work, Ensign," Soma said coldly. "Colonel, shall we go then?"

"Of course. You three come along with us; we're in one compartment together." The three soldiers followed Sergei and Soma inside the terminal while Saji and Louise walked off in another direction.

* * *

><p><strong>BULGARIAN-TURKISH BORDER<strong>

"What a mess," Beside Pain commented snidely as he walked through the area where the damaged mobile suits had crashed. Three soldiers from the newly independent Bulgarian Reformed Military guided him throughout the burning battlefield where soldiers from the AEU and the newly independent states lay dead. "I presume that Celestial Being has something to do with this."

"Da," one Bulgarian soldier answered back. "The machine was so fast that we couldn't shoot it down."

They continued to walk until Beside spotted the outpost where the AEU soldiers were detained before they were eventually released, but one of the AEU soldiers who stayed behind walked towards them with a scowl on his face. Beside watched with amusement as the newcomer swore in his native language before turning his attention towards him.

"Who the hell is he? And why are you three still here?" Viktor Leonov snapped at them. "Ever since we became independent, the AEU has not only expelled me from its army, but I'm out of a job, thanks to you idiots."

A second Bulgarian soldier glared at him. "So you're happy with what you had before, Viktor? Many of us aren't that rich, you know! We were fed up with the idiotic politicians who continued to kiss the AEU in the ass, and may I remind you that we couldn't even ship natural gas into our country because of the embargoes the bloody UN has put on oil and gas."

"It's not only us though" Viktor said coldly. He gazed at the scenery dotting the borders shared between the two nations before turning back towards the BRM soldiers. "Greece has now become an HRL puppet, so this means that they're now in league with those Serbs who continued to cause trouble for the AEU. I may have understand the Greek frustration with regards to what happened to their economy, but to openly secede from the AEU? They just shot themselves in the foot."

"Or maybe that foot's been infected and Greece was brave enough to cut it open." The three soldiers turned towards Beside. "Sir, What should be the next step now?"

Beside pondered on the question for a minute before his eyes widened. "I have an idea: PMC Trust is looking for unemployed former soldiers who are willing to work for money. Soldiers of fortune, they normally call it."

"We're not criminals or bandits, stranger," Viktor told Beside, but he simply shrugged.

"You have no job, and I doubt that your government will employ you after they learn of your previous affiliation with the AEU. The government in Sofia is busy firing any politician who used to hold office in the AEU parliament. Besides, where there's money, there's an opportunity. Or you can simply join the French Foreign Legion since they're not a formal military unit of the AEU," Beside suggested.

Viktor did not respond to Beside's suggestion because he was lost in his thoughts. Across from the border, five Turkish soldiers chatted away while holding up their rifles. One of the soldiers pointed at an incoming Anf, creating a commotion that caused panic on both sides of the border.

"Ah yes, the Anf. The cheapest, most durable cannon fodder that mankind has ever created," Beside said mockingly. He laughed loudly at its clumsy movements. "It's literally a walking, mobile coffin by the looks of it."

"Compared to the Hellions which can transform into fighter modes, you're right in that matter," Viktor replied back. "I'll accept your offer to join the French Foreign Legion. They're always looking for new recruits."

"Excellent, and you will not be disappointed when the money starts to rack in," Beside replied back. He and his guards walked away from Viktor as one of the BRM guards approached him with a phone on his hand. "Yes, how can I help you? Uh huh? What the hell do you mean you can't pull it off? Oh, so you don't have the funds that you need to pull it off, eh? That's fine; I can help you. If you can just rob some banks to steal some cash, you can pay me off and I will give you the supplies you'll need. That's good, thanks."

"Who was that just now?" a third Bulgarian Reformed Military soldier asked curiously.

"Someone for me to talk to and for you to mind your own business," Beside snapped back. He simply walked away from his guards and entered the outpost.

* * *

><p><strong>ORBITAL ELEVATOR TRAIN<strong>

Enrique and his friends sat across from each other as Hye-In and Alisa listened to a podcast while Sergei and Soma also sat across from each other. His curiosity towards Soma increased the more he got to look at her, and hearing that she is a super soldier made him feel a bit jealous. He thought back to the time when he nearly died from his brawl with Chen and Rakhamung. He cursed himself for not being strong enough to fight anyone, and the HRL's distrust towards its Filipino enlistees did not help his situation either.

"I've been meaning to ask you something that's bothering me: why did you join the super soldier program?" Sergei asked Soma.

"I did not volunteer: in fact, I'm a designer baby specifically created for the super soldier institute," Soma answered back.

Enrique's expression melted. "Just what is the super soldier program anyways?"

"Do you really want to know, Ensign Alvarez?" Sergei asked wearily. Enrique nodded. "The Super Soldier Program was created by the higher ups, and their intended purpose was to train orphaned children and to medically condition them for the battlefield."

Sergei's thoughts went back to the time when he saw Soma undergoing a performance test. He also recalled how calm and happy the doctor explained about Soma's performance, citing the ethical issues facing the super soldier program. As soon as Sergei went back to reality, Enrique groaned in frustration.

"Something wrong, Ensign Alvarez?" Sergei asked again.

"I wish I was a super soldier," Enrique replied back sadly, but Sergei glared at him. He grabbed Enrique by the shirt collar, causing Hye-In and Alisa to stop what they were doing and tried to force Sergei into letting their friend go. "What's going on?"

"Repeat it to me what you've just said," he said dangerously. Enrique hesitated, but Sergei's grip on his collar was too strong. "Say it!"

Enrique sighed. "I wish I was a super soldier so I don't have to end up in the infirmary every time Chen and his buddies beat me up." Sergei did the unexpected and punched him in the cheek. He growled and tried to lunge at Sergei, but Soma simply restrained him. "See! This is what I mean!"

"Ensign Alvarez, are you really that desperate to become stronger?" Sergei asked curiously, his angry mood still in place. "Even if it meant destroying any sign of humanity in you?"

"Well...yes. At least people won't have to look at me as a weakling," Enrique replied back angrily. "I almost died when I fought Chen in the jail cell, and my father thought that he had to arrange my funeral. I kept on crying because I felt powerless and helpless. Soma here doesn't have to feel powerless because she's a super soldier!"

Sergei's facial expression only darkened further. "I know the...unpleasantries that have happened because of your nationality. It is a big problem for the HRL to adapt to the new soldiers from what was then a former Union stronghold, and there are still racism involved. However, what you suggested is truly inhumane."

"I don't get it," Enrique said.

"You should be thankful for being weak, because weakness is a human flaw. When you're weak, you're constantly reminded that you're a human being. If you sacrificed your humanity just for the sake of gaining more strength, then you cease to be human. Remember what I told you today and always reflect on your short comings," Sergei explained. Enrique nodded sadly. "You won't get punished for your outburst, but you will have to write a report on the negative impacts of the super soldier program and hand it to me."

"Yes, sir."

Down on Earth, the Dynames stood by and waited in the fog for any incoming enemies. Unlike the last time it engaged in an armed intervention, the Dynames was equipped with a different sniper rifle. Once the Sadalsuud Type F arrived in the same spot, Fon's handcuffs were undone and he began to watch Lockon do his mission.

"Now show me what you've got, Lockon! Demonstrate it to me the power of the Dynames Torpedo!" Fon cackled.

"Roger! Roger!"

Lockon aimed his torpedo sniper rifle into the water as he saw a silhouette of the enemy he's supposed to destroy. Unfortunately, Lockon kept on missing his target, and the increased jamming did not help him either. On top of that, there was a biplane hovering above the Dynames.

"So sniping underwater targets from the surface won't work, eh? This is no longer a job for Dynames, and according to the mission plan, I need to leave right now," Lockon told himself. "Haro, we're withdrawing." Suddenly, he heard a static on the radio as the orange Haro stopped flopping its ears. "Who's this?"

"Hey, Lockon. Are you gonna just turn tail and run? If you do that, I won't forgive you for making such a boring choice!" Fon said over the comm.

Lockon growled back. "How do you know who I am?"

"I'm like you: a Gundam Meister. Yet I'm kinda different because I'm not a main Meister. Besides, if you won't do it, I'll just have to kill you and take your machine for myself." Fon grinned maliciously. "I'll be the one to change the world!" His Haro flopped its unusual looking ears. "Feh. Let's give this loser another chance."

"Why are you here in the first place?" Lockon asked Fon. He noticed the Sadalsuud Type F swinging its binder forward. "What are you up to?"

"Did you know that my Sadalsuud F is a Gundam that was designed to detect enemies that cannot be seen with the naked eye?" Fon laughed once he spotted the target. "Hanayo, relay this information back to your brother Haro!"

"OK! OK!" the whiskered Haro chirped.

"Found! Enemy found!" the orange Haro inside the Dynames chirped back.

Lockon sighed. "I don't know what to say."

"Just say thank you and just finish the son of a bitch off!" Fon said snidely.

Lockon aimed the torpedo sniper rifle again at the water, but this time his Haro was able to give him the exact location of the unseen enemy unit. Once the Dynames fired its sniper rifle, the torpedo managed to strike at its target, destroying it in the process.

"See? If you tried harder then you succeed!" Fon clapped his hands together as he noticed the Dynames leaving the battlefield.

* * *

><p><strong>HRL NAVAL BASE<strong>  
><strong>KURILE ISLANDS<strong>

When Andrei and his new squadmates arrived at the military base inside the Kurile Islands, they were surprised at how small the base looked. Unlike the majority of the HRL's military bases that were quite large, the base inside a small, sleepy town called Yuzhno-Kurilsk is so small that it can only fit around 100 people and five mobile suits. In reality though, the Yuzhno-Kurilsk base is one of the backwater military bases where HRL soldiers who are either on a special mission or on a conditioning exercise (retraining after coming back from an injury) get sent.

"Over here!" an older looking man waved at the new arrivals. Andrei and his comrades saluted to what appeared to be a muscular man with dark skin. His facial expression reminded Andrei of Enrique, and thus he realized that they're serving under Enrique's father, Joaquin Alvarez. "At ease." The soldiers changed stances. "Stand easy. Welcome to Yuzhno-Kurilsk base, one of the loneliest backwater bases in the entire Human Reform League. I'm Joaquin Alvarez, your new commanding officer."

"Colonel, we've been sent here by HQ to take part in the Gundam capture operation, but we're told that we'll test the new Tieren models," Andrei explained, but the elder Alvarez nodded.

"That is indeed true. The prototypes that you'll all test will be your units and you will take care of these Tieren models with special care, as if you're taking care of your pet cat, dog, or even your wife," Joaquin continued to explain, though he glared a little bit at Chen and Rakhamung. "When you're all in this base, I expect you to be serious about your work because I will not hesitate to kick you off from this base and request to HQ for your demotions and pay cuts. Is that clear?"

All of the soldiers shouted in unison, "Yes, sir!"

"That's good. Your new models are in Hangar 4." Joaquin pointed at a medium sized hangar. A jeepney arrived towards their present position, allowing Andrei and his squadmates to climb inside the jeepney. A second jeepney arrived to take Joaquin with them and when they reached Hangar 4, four different Tieren models stood there. "That's the new Tieren High Mobility Type B, which we're trying to upgrade into what we want to designate as Type C. Currently we're trying to integrate the weapon systems from both the anti-aircraft and the long range cannon types, but so far we've failed to take into account the weight of those packs."

Andrei looked at the weapon systems installed into the two Tierens before looking at a third Tieren with the two weapon packs in one. He shook his head just after taking one quick look at the Tierens before Chen and Rakhamung turned their attention back to their teammate.

"They're too heavy, and how will you counter the threats coming from both the air and the ground?" Andrei asked Joaquin.

"I can see your criticism of the machine, Sub-Lieutenant Smirnov. That is why Colonel Kim recommended you and your teammates to the mobile suit research team. You just know what's wrong with the machine and you make a suggestion to it. With that in mind, what do you suggest?" Joaquin inquired.

Andrei answered right away. "We need a long range weapon that we can carry easily, and yet deal some heavy damage at the same time. I think a bazooka would be appropriate for that."

Chen scoffed. "What about the close combat weapons? Are we to just abandon the carbon axe?"

"No, but we can go for the double bladed axe," Rakhamung suggested.

"You've all got these wonderful ideas, but it will take time to develop them. Not to mention that we don't have the same luxury as the Union when it comes to having two competing companies develop the weapons themselves," an engineer walked towards them. To Chen and the others, the new engineer looked like a socially awkward nerd with some issues, but Andrei knew better. "Other than that, I can't wait until I hand in my report to Colonel Pang Hercules about the proposed changes in the Tierens. Oh, and did you guys know that we've also built a Tieren model that can be used for certain pilots called super soldiers?"

"Hey! That's supposed to be kept a secret, you know!" Joaquin reprimanded the engineer, but he shrugged it off.

"I also took part in the development of the Tieren Taozi, so I might have gained some information on the pilot." the engineer clapped his hands together. "So, what weapons do you all suggest that could take out the missiles and airborne units?"

Mehmet raised his hand. "A gatling gun?"

"I am thinking of that too, but wouldn't the gatling gun require a ton of bullets for it to work?" the engineer asked back.

"That's indeed true, and for the bazookas, we'll definitely need tons of ammo to keep the Gundam off balance," Chen answered back. He looked at the next prototype Tieren that was literally loaded with too much equipment. "That over there is the Tieren Kyitwo. We also thought of making this thing a mass produced unit, but thanks to the Gundams' appearance, we had to use some of its data for the Taozi. If the Taozi's test run is successful, we can replicate that data and transfer it back towards these High Mobility Type Bs."

The four soldiers climbed inside their assigned Tieren units and began to move them around. Andrei grabbed the Long Range Cannon Pack and aimed it at a target range. He paused for a minute to make sure that no one else was on the firing range before he pressed the lever, causing the long cannon to fire. Chen and Rakhamung tried out the anti-aircraft pack and fired it at a dummy target, while Mehmet just stayed behind and helped the engineer with whatever he needed.

Night time had reached the sleepy Yuzhno-Kurilsk base and it could have been an uneventful night for Andrei and the others if they hadn't turned on the television. they gasped as the image of the gravity block was damaged by a Tieren Taozi that seemed to gone out of control. Andrei also saw three Tieren space units accompany the commander type as they tried to restrain the Taozi.

"This is just in the news: a gravity block was shot by a Tieren Taozi while undergoing a test run. Though its pilot had finally stopped, there is a major risk that 200 people would be plunged to their deaths." the news broadcaster announced. All of the HRL's garrison troops continued to watch the news, but Andrei grew worried. Not because of the possible deaths that might occur, but the accident happened on his father's watch.

"The Taozi's pilot is a super soldier, so what on Earth possessed her to just shoot at the gravity block like that?" Rakhamung asked anyone. Only Andrei answered back in a most serious tone.

"Something must have happened. I recall my dad saying something about how super soldiers can read someone's mind just by sensing their emotions. I'm not sure though, I could be wrong." Chen and Rakhamung looked at Andrei before Mehmet ran towards the mess hall, his expression changed to a terrified look. "Whoa! What's wrong, Ensign Sudirman?"

"There's been a coup in the Philippines! General Alferos has been killed by a group of pro-Union officers, and the Union is sending a special force to help prop up an anti-HRL government in Manila!" Mehmet saluted towards Joaquin and yet he still trembled. "Colonel Alvarez, sir."

Joaquin looked at his Indonesian subordinate with a worried look. "What's wrong?"

"One of the coup plotters is also named Alvarez, sir." Joaquin slammed his fist into the wall. "Colonel?"

"Javier, you've done it. _Tarantado ka_!" the HRL officer yelled before he turned towards his subordinates. "Soldiers of the Fatherland, it has come to our attention that President Stegmeyer has finally gave in to a bunch of exiles and launched a coup against General Alferos. Our job is to bring back the legitimate government of the pro-HRL back and to punish the traitors. Prepare yourselves, because we will leave for the Philippines in two hours!"

"Yes, sir!" the HRL soldiers replied back.

The engineer panted after he arrived at the mess hall. "Colonel, we still need to design the bazooka-"

"We can't wait any longer! Have the High Mobility Type Bs equipped with anti-aircraft packs and a smoothbore gun. Also, equip them with carbon spears," Joaquin instructed. The HRL garrison troops ran from the mess hall and into their barracks while the harbor sprang to life as the sailors also started to run towards their quarters. "Have the transport planes ready. We'll have to paradrop the Tierens right on Philippine soil."

The Tierens began to march towards the carrier planes specifically designed to carry such heavy mobile suits while the High Mobility Type B units were loaded into an aircraft carrier. Five hours later, the fleet set sail from their naval base and made stops in Shanghai and Taiwan before proceeding towards Philippine territory.

**_(Five days later, PHILIPPINES)_**

HRL Jiachongs and Union Realdo Tanks engaged each other in a fierce tank battle just outside Laoag by the time HRL reinforcements arrived in the city. Andrei and his squadmates were the first ones to disembark from the carrier and into the ground. Unfortunately, the Realdos that flew overhead moved to attack them, but the HRL's Tieren anti-aircraft cannon type units opened fire on them. Chen spotted several Union soldiers in Marine fatigues operating a machine gun nest and aimed his missiles towards them.

Rakhamung on the other hand, grabbed the carbon spear and swung it towards a Realdo in its mobile suit mode, cleaving it in half. At the same time, Andrei and Mehmet fired their smoothbore guns at the incoming Realdos attempting to clear the beachheads and destroyed them. Once the HRL forces moved inside Laoag, several Union soldiers raised their hands in a gesture of surrender. HRL ground troops herded them from the city into the makeshift POW camps established in newly liberated Batanes Island.

Joaquin continued to destroy the machine gun nests that blocked their path to Vigan when he spotted a Union Flag hovering above him. It sped faster than him, but the Flag fired its sonic rifle and grabbed its sonic blade to clash with the carbon spear. He could hear laughing on the other line, causing him to give out a war cry.

"Javier!" Joaquin roared, his carbon spear pointed at the Union Flag. "Why have you returned here!? You're not wanted here anymore!"

Javier Alvarez laughed. "Joaquin, I'm here to liberate our homeland from the HRL! Can't you see that you're fighting for the wrong side?" The Flag kicked the Tieren in the chest, but the High Mobility Type B units fired their anti-air missiles, causing the Flag to dodge it.

"Colonel Alvarez!" Andrei called out before he dodged the sonic shots coming from the Flag. "Bastard! I'm not gonna let you have this paradise!"

Andrei's Tieren swung its carbon spear towards the sonic blade while a couple of Realdos opened fire and swooped down towards him. Chen and Rakhamung fired their anti-air guns towards the Realdos, but even after they were hit they continued to swoop down. It was not until the three HRL soldiers realized their true intentions that they dodged out of the way. Joaquin's Tieren impaled the Realdo attempting to sneak up behind him while Javier stabbed one Tieren Ground Type in the chest before clashing blades once again.

To make matters worse for the incoming HRL soldiers, another Realdo squadron ambushed them just after they entered Vigan. This time they were being led by a Union Flag, but its armaments were different from Javier's unit. The most unique feature of the new Flag was that it had guns in place of hands. Javier smirked and swung the sonic blade towards Joaquin, but Chen pushed the Flag aside. He fired his anti-air guns towards the Flag, but the handless Flag fired its missiles towards the Tierens.

"Whoa! That Flag looks weird!" Mehmet yelled before a missile struck his Tieren in the shoulder. "Damn! I'm hit!"

"Where are the Jiachongs and our own Tierens!?" Chen gritted his teeth as he kept on firing the anti-air guns until he ran out of bullets. He simply detached the anti-air guns and fired the smoothbore guns at the Flag. "That Flag looks like it doesn't have a close range weapon."

"I'll take that thing out. You two take Sudirman back to the city!" Andrei ordered. As soon as the three Tierens left the battlefield, Andrei charged forward and fired his smoothbore guns at the handless Flag before grabbing the carbon axe and sliced the guns from its arms. "You have some nerve, coming to our paradise with your ugly looking Flag."

"Hah! You seem to be cocky too yourself, huh?" Joshua Edwards panted. "My name's Joshua Edwards, and I'm here to defeat you HRL lunkheads today!"

Andrei scoffed. "Pushing your luck, eh? I'll finish you!"

Suddenly a pink beam came down from the sky, hitting one Tieren in the chest and exploded soon after. Just as the Realdos were about to launch their attack, the pink beam also hit them in the center and it was when both Andrei and Joshua dodged the shots that the Exia and Rasiel had descended into the ground with their beam weapons. However, the Exia looked a bit bulkier than the Rasiel because it had a heavy equipment on its back.

**_(with the Gundams)_**

Setsuna gazed at the numerous amount of Realdos and Tierens that turned their attention towards him. The new Avalanche Exia pack was something that he had to try out, and even the Rasiel sported a new equipment. For the Rasiel, a flight pack and several non-GN long range weaponry were in its possession, and its GN Condenser was larger.

"Just how did VEDA predicted the coup anyways?" Hixar asked Setsuna before the Virtue descended towards them. "Tieria, I thought you were in charge of space!"

"It's like last time, and I'm annoyed at Allelujah Haptism," Tieria scowled.

"What happened?" Hixar asked curiously.

"He took out the Kyrios for a rescue mission without VEDA's authorization and exposed the Dynames' ability to snipe targets from the surface towards space. He's under confinement right now," Tieria replied back darkly. "Now VEDA has come up with this mission plan in a flash."

(flashback)

_Sumeragi summoned the Gundam Meisters (minus Allelujah) into the conference room after she got a message from VEDA. The news broadcast about the coup d'etat in the Philippines and the subsequent Union invasion of that territory. The image of the old general with a gunshot wound caused the Meisters to wince, and Sumeragi felt a bit sick when she saw the corpses of dead HRL soldiers who died defending Malacanang Palance. _

_"Political tensions in the Philippines have been more pronounced than Taribia's situation because of its close proximity to the HRL's Asian mainland. This country has been a battleground throughout the Solar Wars, and it has changed governments through coups and counter-coups. To me personally, I don't wish to divulge my personal information but I am from that nation. My sister and I grew up in a country wracked by civil war and terrorism, and so whenever I see people who died from these pointless attacks I feel horrified," Sumeragi explained, though Setsuna and the others noticed that she struggled to restrain her tears._

_"Just how bad is the situation down there?" Lasse Aeon asked curiously._

_Sumeragi answered back in a raspy voice. "It's a nightmare, I'm telling you."_

_"So our mission is to intervene in the civil war? If you noticed that their leader has been shot dead, we might not be able to bring back the previous government," Tieria told her. "Or even allow the Union to get away with their crimes."_

_"That is why Celestial Being will intervene. Also, Fereshte will collaborate with us since they brought in some additional equipment for this mission." Sumeragi turned around as Chall's face appeared in the screen._

_"Good day to you, Sumeragi Lee Noriega. We brought the Avalanche Pack for the Exia and a flight pack for the Rasiel. In addition, the Virtue's firepower is needed for this mission because you're facing around 200 mobile suits from the Union and HRL combined. Since Allelujah Haptism is confined, we'll need someone to take his place, and that is where Fon Spaak will come in," Chall explained. Hixar brightened up as Fon appeared on the screen. "He'll pilot the Astrea for this mission."_

_"Wait a minute, isn't he a criminal Meister? There's an explosive necklace on his neck," Lasse pointed out._

_Chall nodded. "Fon will intervene in the Mindanao region where fighting is at its strongest, while Lockon Stratos will intervene in the Visayas region with the Torpedo Pack. The rest of you will stop the fighting in the Luzon region."_

_"Then it's settled. All Meisters, board your Gundams immediately!" Sumeragi ordered with a strained tone in her voice. She turned to Chall and looked down on the floor. "Can I consult with VEDA to see if my sister is on Earth?"_

_"No need to do that, Sumeragi. HRL's Alisa Kujo has been spotted with the mobile suit team that supervised the mobile suit test involving a new Tieren model," Chall answered back as the comm was silenced._

(end flashback)

"Tieria, you and I will have to take out the Union mobile suits. Setsuna, take out the Tierens!" Hixar suggested. No one answered back as the Gundams split and rushed to take out their intended targets.

The Rasiel fired its beam rifle at the nearest Realdo, hitting it in the cockpit as its pilot screamed in pain while the Virtue aimed its shoulder cannons at the airborne Realdos in their flight mode. On the ground, Setsuna fired its GN Beam Rifle at the Tierens but Andrei moved forward as his carbon spear slammed into the GN Long Blade.

"We still have a chance to capture the Gundams! Chen and Rakhamung, where are you!?" Andrei shouted. Five minutes later, his squadmates returned with Mehmet inside a different Tieren High Mobility unit. "What happened to Sudirman's unit?"

"It'll take a while for them to fix it," Mehmet replied back. Andrei moved forward as Chen swung his carbon spear at the Avalanche Exia, but he missed. Rakhamung on the other hand, began to move closer towards the Virtue with his smoothbore gun aimed at the cockpit. Tieria was forced to evade, losing focus on the Realdos that dropped some bombs on them.

Andrei continued to clash blades with the Avalanche Exia until Setsuna grabbed the GN Long Blade and slammed it back towards the carbon spear. His Tieren unit moved back for a bit until he lunged forward once again, this time at a faster speed as he slammed into the Avalance Exia, knocking the GN Long Blade out of its hands. He made a grab for the GN Long Blade only for the Rasiel to fire its beam rifle, blowing the Tieren's arm off while Hixar fired off another round at Rakhamung's unit, causing it to malfunction.

Tieria turned his attention back towards the incoming Realdos by the time Setsuna flew upwards to meet the new threat. He aimed the GN Bazooka at the Realdos, but waited for Setsuna to create enough distraction long enough for the Realdos to be caught off guard. The Virtue fired the GN Bazooka after the Avalanche Exia sliced the last Realdo with its GN Sword.

"This is bad. We've gotta withdraw," Javier told the Realdo units that still managed to survive, but he didn't notice Joaquin throw the carbon spear at him. The carbon spear only managed to cleave the Flag into two pieces but the cockpit did not take a hit. Still, Javier opened the cockpit and managed to jump from his damaged unit, but not before triggering the Flag's self-detonation device. Joshua's Flag managed to retrieve him as the Union forces retreated from Vigan and moved eastward.

Meanwhile, the HRL units that remained also began to retreat from the battlefield as they retrieved their wounded and dead comrades and sheltered them into the field hospital. The Gundams decided to leave, knowing that their work was still not done.

"Without a government, how will the Philippines function? It's like a volcano waiting to erupt?" Tieria asked curiously, fearing that VEDA will create more armed intervention missions in that country Sumeragi had fond memories of. "This is not going to end well."

The Gundams continued their journey as they left behind a debris of damaged mobile suits and destroyed Jiachong tanks that littered the roads of the entire country.

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p>

Next up is the Moralia mission, so it will definitely be far longer than anticipated.


	8. Stage Eight: Blast from the Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00.

* * *

><p><strong>Stage Eight: Blast from the Past<strong>

**SOUTH AFRICA**

The aftermath of Celestial Being's earlier intervention was still evident by the time Ali Al-Saachez and his mercenary henchmen toured the remains of the Workloaders that were destroyed by the Dynames. Since disbanding the former KPSA guerrilla group that waged war against the Azadistani forces that invaded and annexed the former Republic of Krugis, Ali has constantly searched for work related to any major conflicts that are still occurring. Because of Celestial Being's interventions, demand for mercenary service has actually gone down.

Beside Pain on the other hand, wasn't worried about the decline in the number of mercenaries who are still on active duty; he felt that with Celestial Being's presence on the world stage, there might be more incentive to hire new mercenaries in order to capture the Gundams, and when the time has come for the world to unite against Celestial Being's actions, they will have to rely on the most battle hardened warriors of the 24th century. Unethical the methods these mercenaries may employ, it was the only realistic way of getting the job done.

"This Celestial whatever they call themselves is bad business. If no one's gonna go collect such valuable rocks, this nation's economy will tank," Ali commented. Beside merely smirked. "Don't you care what happens to this tragic nation?"

"South Africa's unaffiliated with any nation, even though the AEU and HRL have clashed over this nation's resources and political allegiance. The HRL backs the ANC-led government while the AEU has backed Boer separatists due to their common historical roots. It's like Ceylon all over again, but with a bloody history of apartheid on their belts as well." Ali couldn't help but agree with Beside's comments on South Africa's history. "Care to guess how many industries and nations will be affected by that?"

Ali grinned. "A whole ton of industries will be affected."

"Boss, you've got a call from the PMC Trust," one henchman approached him with a phone in his hand. Ali grabbed the phone and spoke.

"This is Ali al-Saachez speaking here. You sent us all the way to the other side of the world and then just cancel the contract? Mercenaries make a living by fighting! If this keeps up, Moralia will collapse for sure!" Ali snapped. He paused for a minute and his expression suddenly changed. "I see. We'll return right away."

Ali hung up the phone as the first henchman spoke up after. "Does PMC want anything from us?"

"Not exactly. It looks like the bosses at the AEU are finally wising up. Not since that debacle in the Mediterranean region involving the three nations there separated did the AEU face new protests. It looks like Romania will be next on the chopping block," Ali answered back. He laughed and placed his hand on Beside's shoulder. "You seem to be well connected with the AEU. Didn't you send at least some Bulgarians who are out of work?"

"As a matter of fact, I sent 20 Bulgarians to join the French Foreign Legion and the remaining 300 to join PMC. The rest of them decided to side with their Reformed Military and their independent country," Beside replied back. "Let us return, shall we?"

Beside, Ali and the henchmen soon arrived at a local airport where other mercenaries waited for their comrades to return. Two of the mercenaries waited specifically for Beside to show up so they can get more information on their next plan. Ever since Viktor Leonov accepted Beside's offer of joining the French Foreign Legion, he has somehow gained the experience needed to become a mercenary, and along the way he has met an interesting Egyptian woman by the name of Naguib Neferu. The Egyptian mercenary looked similar to Ali in skin color, but she is deadly when she engages in close combat.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Beside," Naguib told him. She looked at Ali and gave him a dirty look, but Ali didn't mind. "I knew it's a bad idea for us to tag up with that psychopath."

"A psychopathic mercenary can be extremely useful to me, Ms. Neferu." Beside turned to Viktor. "Oh my! My advice seems to have paid off."

"Da, and I just realized that I've been ripped off by the AEU for a while ever since I joined," Viktor replied back with a grin. "It looks like I'll be needed somewhere else other than this inferno."

Beside shook his head. "Not exactly. We're about to engage in a military exercise with the AEU. However, I'm not sure if the AEU forces would be pleased to see people like you though."

All of the mercenaries climbed aboard the aircraft and fell asleep once the aircraft took off. Beside smirked at himself when he saw the AEU orbital elevator overhead and watched as the Hellions flew beside the aircraft to make sure it isn't holding terrorists inside before taking off in another direction. Midway through the flight, Beside received headphones to insert into the slot beside his armchair and widened his eyes at the news report that appeared on the screen.

"As a result of Celestial Being's intervention in the HRL's Philippine territory, the civil war has ended in a temporary ceasefire. Colonel Joaquin Alvarez was chosen with the HRL government's blessing to lead the new junta that will keep the lid down on any anti-government activities, but the Union soldiers who were under HRL captivity were reported to have been executed by HRL soldiers. A spokesperson responded that these atrocities are retaliatory attacks in response to the Union's massacre of pro-HRL Filipino soldiers who surrendered to them..." Beside merely cackled quietly.

* * *

><p><strong>WITH THE PTOLEMAIOS<strong>

Allelujah kept his head down while sitting in his jail cell, pondering about the headache he's received from the incident involving a mobile suit test and the destruction of a gravity block in Heaven's Pillar. Since he took the Kyrios on an unauthorized mission to save innocent civilians, Sumeragi had no choice but to put him inside the brig for two weeks. Tieria even proposed to take Allelujah off the Kyrios due to his unstable nature, a proposal that almost gave Hixar some hope, but Sumeragi went against it.

Luckily, Chall came by with the additional equipment that the Gundams used during their intervention in the Philippines, including the 0 Gundam's GN Drive that was to be installed into the Rasiel for only one time and then they have to give it back to Fereshte. She was also warm to the idea of replacing Allelujah with Hixar as pilot for the Kyrios when she heard of the incident but like with Tieria earlier, Sumeragi shot down the idea.

Fast forward to the present time, Allelujah was still moping around when the cell door opened to reveal Tieria and Hixar in front. Hixar was still as cheerful as ever, though he felt disappointed that he could not replace Allelujah. His mood changed however, when Chall loaned the GN Drive Fereshte had in their possession for Hixar to use in the upcoming mission.

"Hi. So is my sentence up?" Allelujah asked first.

"I guess you still haven't learned your lesson yet." Tieria's mood remained as cold as ever. "From the sound of the tone in your voice, you don't feel sorry for your actions."

"You're right," Allelujah replied back without any regretful tone.

"Allelujah Haptism, you are not fit to be a Gundam Meister," Tieria said it again.

Hixar stepped inside the jail cell. "Comfy cell you got there. It's kinda sad that you have to occupy this cube, but your actions seem to be justified."

"Hixar Fermi, why would you defend Allelujah even though you have a chance of obtaining Kyrios in order to ease off your anxieties about your shortcomings as a Meister?" Tieria turned on his white haired comrade.

"200 people are stuck in a gravity block, Tieria. Do you honestly think we'll just let them perish like that? We may not have the same flaws as Allelujah and Setsuna, but at least let us repair our self-image in the eyes of the world," Hixar said angrily. Tieria and Allelujah were surprised at his angry outburst. "Besides, I don't like the image of floating corpses in space. I feel sick and nauseous every time a corpse floats in front of me."

"You don't need to stress yourself, Hixar." a voice boomed out from across the hallway. The Meisters were surprised to see Sumeragi show up. "We have a task that require your abilities again."

"Ms. Sumeragi?" Allelujah wondered.

"We have received reports that the President of the Moralian Republic has held a clandestine meetings with the AEU leadership. I'm sure it's got to do with the PMC Trust which dominated Moralia's economy, and the planned exercise is meant to send a message to us," Sumeragi explained. She turned to Tieria and Hixar and beckoned for them to leave the jail cell. "This will be a hard mission, so we'll head down to the surface to provide back up. Allelujah, you're released from confinement. Both of you will have to prepare right away."

"Roger that." Both Allelujah and Tieria left, but Sumeragi held Hixar back. She hugged him suddenly, and Hixar was unsure what to do.

"I'm not sure what to say to the Meisters for stabilizing my homeland. I've received a message from my younger sister and she told me that our parents are all right. I know you have more burden on your shoulders than the rest of the Meisters here, but you need to endure a bit more. You'll become a great Meister once we have enough resources to build one more GN Drive," Sumeragi told Hixar.

"Do you want me to come with you to Moralia?" Hixar asked back. Sumeragi nodded and allowed him to get down into the hangar where his machine was stored.

(HRL Heaven's Pillar)

Alisa and Hye-In laid down in their bunkbeds, tired and nervous after they've completed their rescue mission. To Alisa personally, she was relieved when she saw Saji and Louise safe and alive but grew pale when she heard of the coup back in her native Philippines. Furthermore, the Chobu squad eyed Enrique with not only envy but suspicion since his father took over as the new coup leader of the Filipino junta and made bets on how long Joaquin will last. Finally, Alisa received a message from her parents living in Cebu, saying that they survived the ordeal.

"I e-mailed Lisa about them, so I hope she gets the message," Alisa told Hye-In. She frowned when Enrique arrived at his bunk bed on the other side of the room and yawned. Hye-In floated towards him with a pillow in her hand.

"Are you all right?" the Korean grunt asked him.

Enrique nodded, but his eyes were droopy. "Dad's gonna be busy for a while, so I can't talk to him. Andrei must be having fun with those meatheads like Chen and Rakhamung."

"Yeah, and my dad's replacing your dad as the leader of the HRL Special Forces. I could tell that it was them, since they piloted a new Tieren model that could hover above the ground," Hye-In replied, even as she yawned too. "Although I feel sorry for Lt. Peries though."

"I've handed my report back to Colonel Smirnov though. He didn't do much other than to remind me that I should not be jealous towards Lt. Peries though. Besides, I've listened to the news lately and all they're talking about is Moralia. Haven't we gone down to the surface yet?" Enrique asked back. Alisa joined him a minute later and sat on his bed. "I could have just waited outside the door, you know."

Alisa smiled mischievously. "So, do you have a crush on Lt. Peries?" Enrique stammered and blushed at the same time. "We laughed when Lt. Peries said that steroids won't work when you're trying to get stronger. As if super soldiers needed performance enhancement drugs to bulk up."

"We don't bulk up, and we prefer to have stronger reflexes." the three soldiers froze and slowly turned towards Soma who stood in front of the doorway. "Last time I checked, we're about to fall asleep, right?"

"Lt. Peries, are you feeling better already? Maybe if you asked for some Tylenol, your headache will be better," Enrique suggested, but Soma did not glare at him. Her lack of emotion had truly spooked the three soldiers, especially Enrique.

Hye-In nodded. "Your headache will be taken care of in that way."

"My quantum brainwaves will be severely affected by painkillers, so I'm forbidden from taking them," Soma answered back. She looked at Alisa and pointed at a chess box. "I challenge you to a game of chess."

Alisa grinned and clapped her hands together. "Have you played before? I'm literally skilled at this game."

"Only once, and the Colonel has introduced this game to me as a means of what you people mean by 'killing time'," the super soldier responded. Alisa and Soma set up the pieces on the board and began to play.

Only halfway into the game, Alisa groaned and cursed silently whenever she made a move, Soma countered it with her own moves. Within just eight moves, Alisa was forced to play a defensive game while Soma barely moved her queen at all, preferring to use her knights and bishops to carry the fighting. Once Soma's pawns were carefully positioned on the board, she proceeded to capture Alisa's pawns. The HRL soldiers who were still awake began to watch the chess match as they made bets on who will win the game.

By the time Sergei entered the room where the commotion was, he was surprised to see Alisa displaying signs of frustration as she kept on losing her pieces to Soma's brilliant moves and when she felt that she had no moves left, she put her king in its dead position. She smiled at Soma and shook hands with her, admitting defeat in the process.

"Even though I ordered everyone here to sleep already, that was a fine game that you two played," Sergei told them. He turned to Alisa and laughed. "Your tactical and strategic skills are still improving, but you underestimated your opponent when she told you that she only played chess once."

Alisa chuckled weakly. "Yes, sir. I did."

"That would be another lesson you should learn: in addition to not underestimating your opponent's skills on the battlefield, you should not overestimate your own abilities as well. A good tactical and strategic forecaster must always take into account the potential unknowns that will spoil the plan," Sergei lectured. He turned to the spectators present. "Now off to bed, everyone."

* * *

><p><strong>TOKYO, JAPAN<strong>

Andrei and his squadmates had just arrived inside their apartment suite when Kinue got off the elevator and walked in front of her own house. Mehmet and Chen tapped Andrei's shoulder as he turned around to see her. The couple hugged each other before giving everyone else present a hug too. Saji opened the door for her and took her coat in while the four soldiers entered their own apartment suite. Five minutes later, Kinue knocked on Andrei's door and Andrei himself went out.

"Hey Andrei, my boss just gave me two days off because he realized how much I've overworked. Do you want to go out for some drinks and dinner?" Kinue offered.

Andrei smiled and nodded. "Hey, how about we go to that Russian restaurant that's popular with you people in Japan? They call it the Sungari or something like that."

"Matryoshka Ebisu would be much better place since they serve food that is of better quality there." Andrei handed Kinue the map of Tokyo and the location of the foreign restaurants. "I'll make a reservation right now."

"Sure thing." Kinue went back inside her house and checked her purse to see if she has enough money to pay for her own meal. "Saji, there's leftovers if you need some. I'm going out on a date with Andrei."

Saji opened his mouth with excitement. "Really? I knew you two are perfect for each other."

"It's just a first date though, so we're not sure if it will succeed," Kinue reminded her brother. After she grabbed her coat, Kinue opened the door to see Andrei get off the phone after ten minutes. "Are we ready?"

Andrei frowned. "Matryoshka Ebisu can't hold to our reservations, so I phoned Baikal to book our spot and they have enough room."

"Perfect, since that place is on Roppongi Station and JNN is close by," Kinue told him. They walked towards the elevator after Saji closed the door. "Let's take the train to Roppongi. We can go to the Uedo Line from Morishita Station."

"Agreed, and I haven't been inside a Tokyo metro before." the two of them entered the elevator and went down.

The trip from the Crossroad residence to a small restaurant within Roppongi district was uneventful, but when the train arrived at Tsukishima Station, the couple looked at the newcomer and checked out his eyeglasses and a large ponytail on his hair. To their surprise, the stranger sat in front of them and didn't mind their presence at all. It was only when they arrived at the small restaurant with the name "Baikal" written in Russian Cyrillic did they enter the restaurant together. A waiter bowed to them once they entered inside.

"Reservations?" the waiter asked Andrei, who nodded and gave his name. "_Da_, you two will seat in Table 47. Grisha!"

A waiter approached the front desk worker. "_Da_, what is it?"

"Lead our guests to Table 47. That's their reserve table." the waiter led Andrei and Kinue into their table and they looked at the menu pamphlet.

Billy Katagiri was rather surprised when he saw the faces of the two strangers that rode the metro and got off at Roppongi Station, though he also entered the restaurant to find an old friend of his. Sure enough, an auburn haired woman sat down in her chair, watching the news broadcast about the Moralian situation while various waiters took the orders from their customers. Billy approached the woman after she dropped her drink.

"Does the news interest you?" Billy asked. "Hello there." A bartender approached Billy with a question for his drink. "An unpiere, please."

Sumeragi turned off the small television and faced her old friend. "It's been a while."

"Likewise. How do you interpret the Moralian actions?" Billy became curious at Sumeragi's sudden interest in the Moralian news.

"Let's not talk about that. It's been a while since graduate school," Sumeragi mused to herself. She turned around and gasped as she spotted Andrei and Kinue chatting among themselves. "You haven't changed at all, Billy."

Billy laughed lightly. "I can say the same to you, Kujou. Not since you graduated, I felt lonely. Even with Kati and Holly moving on towards bigger and better things, and-" He gazed at Andrei and smiled at him. "Look who the cat dragged in. Holly's kid is dating the JNN reporter."

"Is he really?" Sumeragi gasped and began to walk closer towards Andrei's table. She tapped into his shoulder and embraced him, with Kinue shaking hands with her soon after. "Long time no see. How's it going, Andrei?"

Andrei exhaled and smiled warmly. "Very well, but I'm surprised to see you here, Lisa. The last time I saw you was at my mother's funeral when she died. I was the little boy who cried for his mom and you comforted me. I also remember Alisa holding my hand after."

"Your mother, Andrei?" Kinue asked him curiously.

"My mom went to the Union International University and became Lisa's mentor. She was the one who pioneered the role of tactical and strategic forecasting, and two of her proteges went on to serve in the AEU. Alisa also became a tactical and strategic forecaster too, but she joined the HRL." Andrei's expression changed when Lisa's face darkened. "Sorry if I brought it up."

Billy sighed. "That's OK. Actually, Lisa and I were there when this Vietnamese tourist visited the Kujo residence in the Japanese capital and literally recruited Alisa for the HRL military."

Andrei and Kinue giggled, though the former spoke up. "Oh yeah, Alisa told me how she joined though. Who would have thought that Capt. Vhong had met you guys." He suddenly looked at Billy at a much closer distance. "Have we met before?"

"I'm not sure. Why?" Billy asked curiously.

"What's the matter, Andrei? Oh, the waiter's here." Kinue turned to see the waiter with an electronic notebook. "We'll have the specials you're offering right now."

"Excellent choice, _dyebuchka_," the waiter replied back. He turned around and left the table.

"I believe I've seen this guy before." Billy and Sumeragi raised their eyebrows after Andrei spoke again.

"What do you mean?" Billy's eyes widened. "Now I remember who you are...even if Lisa hadn't known who you were, I sure recognize you as the young man from the Philippines."

Sumeragi turned to Billy. "What do you mean, you saw him before?"

"Not only that, there was a blond guy as well. He seems to be pretty close to you though," Andrei replied back before another waiter arrived with two bottles of kvass. "If you've paid attention to the news, I fought against the Union forces that invaded my home."

"OK, OK. Just calm down and let's have a pleasant evening, all right?" Sumeragi said, but Andrei's phone rang. He sighed and picked it up.

"Hello?"

Alisa was on the other line. "Andrei! Thank goodness you're here!"

"What happened?" Andrei asked back, though he began to get annoyed. "I'm on a date here with Kinue. You have a very bad timing."

"I'll say! That new super soldier who's on our squad kicked my ass in chess," Alisa replied back. Sumeragi and Billy snickered before they regained their serious posture. "Where the hell are you right now?"

"Inside Baikal restaurant on Roppongi. Oh, and guess who's also inside this restaurant with me and Kinue?" Andrei asked excitedly.

"I'm all ears."

"This guy with a ponytail and your sister." Andrei could hear Alisa groan.

"Really!? Out of all the people you could have run into, you met Billy freaking Katagiri and Ate Lisa!?" Sumeragi cringed at how loud Alisa's voice was.

Andrei rubbed his ears after Alisa finished her screaming. "Do you really want to talk to Lisa, Ensign Kujo?"

"Sure, I wish to speak to Alisa," Sumeragi told Andrei. He gave her the phone and waited until their meal has arrived.

"Alisa, I was nervous because of the coup. Thanks for telling me that mom and dad are alive. Judging by how loud your voice was, you were kinda bummed out at your loss in chess. I also didn't know that cousin Delphine has joined the Human Reform League as well," Sumeragi told her younger sister. "Thanks to your friend's little stunt, you endangered the lives of 200 people inside that gravitational block."

Alisa frowned. "Hold on a sec! I was on guard duty when I had to help this guy who had a headache. I offered him some Tylenol but he spoke to me in a different tone, as if he had another personality."

Sumeragi narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Tell me about this young man you've met in the station."

"Well, he had bangs that covered his eyes. Enrique and I were on guard duty when he went down on the ground. He just snapped instantly, and the next thing we knew, the gravity block just snapped. We had to calm Lt. Peries down after, and Enrique fully understood the harsh realities of being a super soldier," Alisa explained. Sumeragi pretended to act surprised. "You know, Colonel Smirnov chewed him out when he got jealous because of Lt. Peries."

"Jealous? Why would a boy like him be jealous of a super soldier?" Sumeragi asked back, but the waiter arrived with their meal. Billy ordered the same specials for him and Sumeragi as they joined them in their table. "Listen, I have to go now. Andrei will need his phone back."

"Thanks, Lisa." Andrei grabbed the phone and talked again. "What do you mean, Enrique got jealous of your new friend?"

Alisa grinned while Hye-In and Enrique floated by her. "Your dad slapped the crap out of him for wishing that he would be like Lt. Peries."

"I'm surprised that my dad has smacked somebody. Anyways, I gotta go enjoy my dinner," Andrei told her as he hung up. He turned to Billy and Sumeragi while Kinue poured the wine into their cups. He raised his glass for them to gently bang it. "To the blast from the past."

"Cheers!" Everyone clinked on their glass and drank their wine.

"I still didn't know the story of how you first met Andrei here, Billy." Sumeragi pointed at Andrei.

"Well.." Andrei became lost in his thoughts.

(Flashback)

_"Well, this is the team building exercise that I told you three about, which you will all complete," Colonel Kim explained. He stood in front of Chen, Enrique and Andrei with their heavy rucksacks on their backs and in their hands is an AK-103 assault rifle. They stood at attention, though both Chen and Enrique tried hard to avoid eye contact. "Your training exercise and assignment will be as follows: you will search and locate the guerrilla base in the jungle and you will also set up camp as a forward base from which you can stage your attacks. Now who will carry the machine gun?"_

_Andrei raised his hand. "I'll carry the machine gun. It's the Pecheneg model, right?"_

_"Correct, and there's the Type 87 infantry mortar that should be carried as well. You two will carry them." Kim looked at both Chen and Enrique._

_"You better not screw this up, Alvarez," Chen growled but Enrique glared back._

_"I'm about to say the same the thing to you," Enrique snapped in response._

_Kim stepped in to prevent them from fighting. "All right, break it up. You three will leave in an hour. Ensign Smirnov will be your leader." He spotted another HRL soldier marching towards him. "I also forgot, you'll have one more soldier who's also going to complete his mandatory training exercise as punishment for an unrelated incident."_

_Rakhamung scowled when he saw Enrique and Chen. "I understand well that they have to be here, but why is Smirnov joining us?"_

_"Because he failed to report the incident to me, Ensign Rakhamung. You'll be issued this Dragunov sniper rifle." Kim saw an HRL quartermaster hand over a sniper rifle for Rakhamung to complete. "You're being punished for getting into fistfights with the locals around here."_

_"OK, so when do we leave?" the Thai HRL soldier asked back._

_"Oh, we're leaving in half an hour. I changed my mind since the jeep has arrived." Kim pointed at the jeep that had just arrived. "Now get in, and good luck."_

_The four soldiers on a penal squad climbed inside the jeepney as the driver moved towards the door and began to turn right towards the road. It only took an hour for the jeepney to arrive at its destination, which turned out to be a thick jungle covered in trees and vines. Enrique winced at the sight of the snakes that slithered out of the trees while Chen and Rakhamung snickered and pointed at the snake. By the time the four soldiers got off the jeepney, Andrei unfolded the map and showed it to his subordinates._

_"We're here and our spot for the forward base is on the top of the hill overlooking Bataan Natural Park. From what I've learned through the limited sources Colonel Kim gave me, the guerrilla base would be somewhere north of the natural park, so it's our job to take them out," Andrei explained._

_Enrique raised his hand. "How long do we have to complete this?"_

_"Colonel Kim told me that it will take as long as we need, since we need to be stealthy and patient. These guerrillas are also professional soldiers, you know. Some of them deserted the Philippine Army when they joined us, so chances are they'll be equipped with the same weapons we've carried, or they'll have M16s." Andrei folded the map again and began to march into the jungle. "Let's go!"_

_Andrei pointed his rifle everywhere as he began to lead his squad through the jungle. Rakhamung was on the rear, walking backwards as he pointed the rifle in the same direction. Chen gazed towards his right and pointed the rifle in the same direction while Enrique pointed his own weapon in the opposite direction. Though the four of them began to grow hungry, Andrei insisted that they don't take any rest until they reached the mid point of their exercise._

_At night, Andrei and Chen went outside their first makeshift camp to gather some firewood while Enrique dug a pit to use as their latrine. Rakhamung grabbed a sanitizer out of his backpack and began to rub his hands with them, waiting for Andrei and Chen to return with the firewood. They unfolded their sleeping bags and moved inside their tents that can fit all four of them, but Enrique was the first man to be on night duty. He kept his rifle with him constantly to make sure the guerrillas didn't kill him quietly. It was not until his shift ended that Rakhamung got up and took over for Enrique, and like the guy before him, nothing happened._

_By the next morning, the four soldiers were on the move once again on the trail and this time Andrei showed his subordinates how to catch some snakes to eat. He spotted a snake slithering towards them and using a two pronged stick to restrain the snake, slammed it on top of its head as Chen held it by the tail, but Andrei smacked his hand away._

_"You don't hold it by the tail because it will then bite you, and I can safely guarantee you that none of us know how to spit the snake's venom out of the human body. You have to make sure that you trap the snake very well." Andrei grabbed a simple snake trap and guided the captured snake inside. "We'll catch snakes to eat."_

_Chen grew pale at the thought of eating a snake. "Is it really healthy though?"_

_"We only have our rations and we're gonna be in this jungle for a long time," Andrei replied back. "Let's continue."_

_The journey continued anew, and along the way there were more snakes that were caught. While Andrei continued to search for some edible animals to kill for food, he suddenly hid in the bushes. From the bushes, Andrei spotted two civilians on a hiking trip and beckoned for his subordinates to hide. Just as the hikers were about to continue, Andrei sprung up from the bushes and pointed his rifle at them with Enrique, Chen and Rakhamung to do the same thing._

_"Hands up where we can see them!" Andrei snapped. Staring at him was a blond haired man with green eyes and a tall man with a large ponytail in his back. "Tell us your name and purpose."_

_The blond man smiled. "We're just hikers having a fun time in the wild."_

_"Wrong answer. Tell us you who both are!" Chen said seriously. "You're inside Human Reform League territory and judging by your appearance, you're not from here."_

_"I'm Graham Aker and my friend here is Billy. Billy Katagiri," Graham introduced himself. He gasped as he took a good look at their combat fatigues. "You're HRL soldiers! You don't take civilians hostage!"_

_Billy nodded and glared at their soon-to-be captors. "That's right! We're here on a normal hiking trip."_

_"However, I won't hold back if you four decide to attack us!" Graham got into a karate standing pose. Unfortunately, Enrique slammed his rifle behind Graham's back and pointed it at him again. "You know I can take that rifle from you, right?"_

_"Until this is resolved, you're our prisoners now," Andrei said. He and Enrique moved beside Graham while Rakhamung moved in front and Chen moed to the back. Just as they were about move again, an explosion rocked the jungle. They moved to the side and began to fire back once they spotted a group of guerrilla fighters firing their rifles. "Crap! They caught us while we're in the middle of a training exercise!"_

_One of the guerrilla leaders shouted orders to his comrades and helped set up a makeshift machine gun nest. Once the guerrillas were finished setting up the machine gun, Chen threw a grenade over their heads and landed a few feet behind them, causing a small explosion resulting in agonizing screams coming from the wounded. Rakhamung aimed his sniper rifle carefully at one of the wounded guerrilla fighters, took a small breath and pulled the trigger, killing him instantly._

_"We've got four HRL soldiers holding two civilians hostage, Javier!" one of the guerrillas shouted. Javier Alvarez soon rushed towards the guerrillas to help retrieve the wounded, but he was distracted by Enrique's appearance. "Javier!"_

_"Enrique?" Javier whispered hoarsely before he attempted to fire his weapon, but Andrei narrowly missed a shot. "Why are you with them? Don't make the same mistake as your father. Join me!"_

_Enrique grimaced and aimed his rifle at his uncle. Chen walked to another side where he could lay an ambush for any incoming guerrilla but another explosion caused him to fly back a few inches. Javier held up his hand to stop the guerrillas from firing so he can walk towards Enrique._

_"I'm not going back," Enrique told his uncle._

_"Really? Do you think your buddies in the HRL will keep on sticking their necks out for one Filipino recruit?" Javier snapped back._

_Billy and Graham looked at each other before raising their hands. Graham was the first one to speak. "Lt. Alvarez, hold your fire. We're all right, but these four soldiers were really paranoid about our presence here."_

_"Of course, they should be! Lt. Aker, Chief Engineer Katagiri, I'm surprised to see you two here," Javier told the two 'hikers'. Upon realizing their false cover, Chen and Rakhamung aimed their rifles at them._

_"They're our hostages now, and we'll wait until we hear from your President. Until then, they're not going with you," Andrei told the guerrillas. To his surprise, the guerrillas aimed their rifles at them. "I mean it!"_

_Suddenly, one guerrilla commander approached Javier with a slip of paper in his hand. He saluted to him and handed over the slip of paper before the rest of the guerrillas began to leave. The HRL squad still had the two off-duty Union officers held at gunpoint and Javier gritted his teeth in frustration. He barked an order in Tagalog, but Enrique understood the order well. The guerrillas began to leave in another direction, but Rakhamung withdrew his weapon._

_"He says that other guerrillas have started to attack our base. We've gotta go back!" Enrique explained, but Chen shook his head._

_"Colonel Kim says that we continue the training exercise!" he insisted, but Andrei shook his head._

_"If these guerrillas mean business, then we have two valuable bargaining chips with us." Andrei pointed at them, though Graham glared back at him. "You two stay with us until we get back to base. This is serious business now."_

_"Like I'd ever take orders from the enemy," Graham spat back. To everyone's surprise, Enrique whacked the Union officer in the back. "You wouldn't dare!"_

_"That's enough!" Rakhamung snapped loudly. He began to walk in the same direction as the guerrillas had taken earlier. "We don't have any communications equipment with us, so we'll have to continue forward. There's a high chance that we'll arrive too late to help them, but by then they would drive the guerrillas away."_

_Andrei smiled at his Thai counterpart. "Spoken like a real leader, Rakhamung."_

_"Just doing my best, Andrei," Rakhamung grinned. They continued to walk forward but Billy became weary of their captors. There was no additional problems by the time they reached their destination and set up camp for the night. "Here we are."_

_Enrique slowly approached his captives and bowed to them. "I'm sorry for hurting the two of you. We were just doing our jobs out here."_

_"I can tell that you're new to this. A nervous kid who just got drafted will make lots of mistakes, but if you don't make mistakes, you can't learn from it. Besides, I was nervous when I first joined the Union military," Graham told Enrique. He sighed after Enrique's expression turned sour. "So Javier Alvarez is your uncle, eh?"_

_"He's not my uncle anymore. Dad told me that the Filipinos who continued to suck up to the Union are traitors. Unfortunately, too many Filipinos live overseas, so they're more likely to be Union soldiers." Enrique looked at the growing fire. _

_Andrei and Chen began to roast the snakes they've captured during the day time while Rakhamung set up the tent with Billy's help. Once everyone finished with their tasks, the four soldiers and their captives warmed their hands around the fire._

_"Do you believe in the horoscope, young man?" Graham asked Andrei. He shook his head. "I'm a Virgo, so I tend to get lucky all the time."_

_"Except that there's such thing as bad luck," Andrei pointed out. Everyone laughed in unison. "I don't understand you Union guys' obsessions with horoscopes."_

_Billy chimed in. "It's the same as our inability to understand the HRL's obsession with Chinese fortune telling mumbo jumbo."_

_"So what do we do now?" Enrique asked everyone. He grabbed the cooked snake and bit down the meat. "We've reached our destination, and God knows how long we'll be stuck here."_

_"That's the real meaning of team building, Enrique," Andrei replied back as he looked at the stars. "Fate has indeed brought us here together, and somewhere out there, there's another person whose life will come to contact with ours."_

_Graham nodded. "I agree. Our meeting may have been a fluke, but it was definitely fate for sure."_

(End flashback)

"Five days later, they decided to head back to camp without a warning. Javier still led that guerrilla attack on their naval base in Subic Bay by the time they returned. Graham and I already left Subic Bay and headed for Manila. We didn't know what happened to Andrei and his friends afterwards," Billy finished explaining. They were almost finished with their meal when Sumeragi looked at her watch. "How many years since we last saw each other?"

"You know, I do mind when people ask me about my age." Sumeragi looked at her glass of wine. She first looked at Billy before turning her gaze towards Kinue. "My advice to you, Ms. Crossroad: when you reveal your real age, you lose some of your youth."

Kinue jot down Sumeragi's advice on her small notebook. "That's a nice word of wisdom there, uh..."

"Just call me Lisa. I'm also a Kujo, just like Alisa." Sumeragi placed her hand on top of Kinue's. "I'm a lot wiser than my younger sister, you know."

"Is there any proof to back up your claims, Lisa?" Billy asked her again. Sumeragi laughed quietly while Andrei poured his glass with red wine again. "You know, I'm glad you called me up, and I'm also happy to see my former captor relaxing. By the way, I've been assigned to the Anti-Gundam Investigation Task Force."

"The Anti-Gundam Investigation Task Force?" Sumeragi asked again. She nodded after Kinue offered to pour her another cup. "What kind of a name is that?"

"It was just formed recently," Billy replied back. "It doesn't have an official name yet."

"Same thing happened with ours though, but Alisa is assigned to this new group my dad's leading and I'm under Colonel Chang's command." Andrei looked outside the window. "He's Hye-In Chang's father."

"Oh, the pop diva." Sumeragi rolled her eyes. "So you've been assigned to this task force?"

"Yeah, and who would have thought that our technical chief is Professor Ralph Eifman. He's been very invaluable to our group, and he has already figured out the secret behind the particles emitted by the Gundams." Billy grinned at Andrei before he laughed. "However, there's a popular saying that a magician doesn't reveal his tricks."

"And I'm guessing that Graham guy is the leader of this task force? Impressive." Andrei sipped his wine.

"Yeah." Billy turned to Sumeragi as soon as the waiter picked up their empty dishes. "What are you up to these days? I've talked to your parents and they felt worried after Alisa decided to join the HRL. I was unfortunate enough to see her when she takes a drink. She can't even hold on to her liquor as much as you do, Lisa."

"Alisa can be reckless sometimes though. She even learned how to become a bartender so she can mix alcohol much more effectively," Sumeragi replied back.

"Listen, about that incident-" Billy began, but both Sumeragi and Andrei held his arms.

"I've moved on, and it opens up old wounds for him." she pointed at Andrei. "We both lost something precious on that day. However, you already know about Andrei's mother and how she died. It's when she died that's a bit touchy to the both of us."

"That is true. I'm just glad we've reconnected." Billy held on to Sumeragi's hand.

Kinue and Andrei got up from their table. "Well, we'd better get back home. Saji's wondering why my date's taking too long."

"Just be careful then." Sumeragi watched as Billy, Andrei and Kinue walked out of the restaurant. "Oh, Andrei. You changed a bit since I last saw you."

* * *

><p><strong>MOSCOW, RUSSIA<strong>

Oleg Milyukov was busy within the last couple of weeks since the events in Taribia had unfolded, and the growing possibility of Moralia's confrontation with Celestial Being grew imminent. He also paid attention to Marina Ismail's European tour around the AEU in need of securing technical aid for her native Azadistan and felt sorry for her. Milyukov even told the new Turkish government to boost aid to Azadistan in exchange for a much greater access to solar energy through HRL territory.

"Have you contacted Ms. Bakhtiar yet?" he asked a government official.

"Not yet, but it seems that they're focused on getting aid from the AEU. Our agents have told me that she has obtained only food aid from the French, and nothing from the Germans have been reported," a burly government official responded.

Milyukov massaged his forehead but grinned. "Ever since the Greeks, Bulgarians and Turks have seceded from the AEU, we've been getting more lucrative contracts to ship our older Fantons, or Anfs as they call it. If only we were more persistent in offering Azadistan the same benefits."

"How about a military alliance?" the government official asked.

"Out of the question, and the Azadistanis don't want to piss off the conservatives. Chancellor Zhao has ordered all heads of member states within the HRL to mobilize their armies along the Russian border with the AEU. My navy already has warships deployed in the Baltic Sea, while the Black Sea Fleet is mobilizing submarines and amphibious destroyers towards the Aegean Sea. Other than that, we're also getting good deals on basing rights in Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. Romania will be next." Milyukov showed the map of the world for everyone present to see. "Crete will serve as our garrison base in the same way as our allies in mainland Europe. Now that we've secured the alliance with Greece plus neutered Bulgaria's threat to us, we have a foothold in Europe now."

An HRL general entered the room and saluted. "Tovarisch President, I have to report to you something terrible."

"What is it?" Milyukov grabbed the folder the general had in his hand.

"In addition to Moralia, we've come across intelligence about some unknown terrorist group that's planning to stage attacks this year. I'm not sure where they're located, but it looks to me that they're getting their hands on old AEU Hellions. They're relying less on the older Anfs and are moving on towards Hellions. Indian authorities even intercepted a ship containing Hellions on route to the Philippines from the AEU, and the rebels there normally use Realdos," the general explained.

"I would like to watch the events in Moralia with a little bit more care, and I can assure you that we will be prepared to take out the terrorists," Milyukov said. He waved his hand away, and the general left.

In a hidden hangar just outside Moscow, ten HRL officers watched as the transport plane unloaded what appeared to be a different colored Union Blast. Though it's no different from the ones that were delivered into Celestial Being's hands, the colors of the new Union Blast indicate that it was refined and tuned up by the engineers from the PMC Trust. Colonel Chang looked at the mobile suit and laughed weakly.

"Did anyone tell me where they got this unit?" the Korean general asked.

Capt. Vhong walked towards him. "It was from a ship that the Indian authorities had intercepted in the port of Mumbai. We got lucky since it came along with the Hellions that were bound for the Philippines."

"The Union and AEU must really be getting wealthy from these illegal arms sales to the anti-HRL Filipino rebels in the region," the older Chang cursed. "On top of that, my daughter's now with the Chobu Squad."

"Don't get your hopes up, Colonel Chang. Hye-In's adapting well to her new teammates, even if she is keen on hiding her past," Capt. Vhong replied back. She walked towards the Blast and patted it. "I've been assigned this unit, and they'll probably keep it on Earth for testing purposes. It's something the research team will be glad to get their hands on."

"I hope so, because I've been assigned to that research team that includes Andrei, those two troublemakers and an Indonesian soldier." Chang watched the HRL soldiers load ammunition crates into the truck. "The data collected from the Blast will be helpful towards the development of the next Tieren, and the new Taozi will also be of great value."

"What about Colonel Pang?" the Vietnamese captain waved at the truck that is coming in.

"He's in Moralia as a military attache. It was because of his efforts that we've managed to get our hands on this Blast unit. They're also desperate to ship mercenaries in to fight the HRL military on our own soil, so Pang is there to keep on eye out. Let me call him then." Colonel Chang and Capt. Vhong went inside the military base.

* * *

><p><strong>MORALIA<strong>

To Pang Hercules who's been watching the deployment of the AEU Hellions into Moralian territory for the joint exercise, it was nothing short of a miracle that they even managed to organize it in the first place. To the grizzled old HRL veteran of the Fifth Solar War, the Europeans were too carefree in their daily organization of the entire bloc's military deployment. What was more surprising was the appearance of a naval armada, presumably coming from either southern France, or eastern Spain, or even northern Italy's coasts.

_They sure took their sweet time getting their asses in place_. Pang thought to himself before a Moralian officer saluted to him. "I see you guys were certainly busy with what you have in mind."

"Well, the PMC Trust is keen on getting their business booming again, and our economy has been faltering. On top of that, your nation and the Union are racing ahead of us in space colony development," the Moralian officer told him. "Perhaps if you went in as a PMC Trust pilot, you can take a look for yourself just how powerful the Gundams really are."

Pang shook his head. "I'm just a military attache here. My superiors would raise hell if they found out that one of their own officers has taken part in an AEU military exercise. We can't have a repeat of that incident in the Philippines where two off-duty Union offiers were taken hostage by four HRL soldiers."

"Of which the Wild Bear's son was leading the squad." Pang sighed because he felt that the Moralian officer was correct about the penal squad. He raised his head when the officer escorted him into the hangar.

The PMC Trust's hangar was unusually large for a company that is notoriously known for sending mercenaries, with several Hellions stored in its place in addition to one new AEU Enact model that was in fighter mode. Pang saw Ali being led into the very same spot, led by a PMC Trust official. The lights were turned on to reveal that new model, causing Pang to open his mouth.

"I need you to use this machine for one purpose only," the PMC Trust officer told Ali.

"A new AEU Enact model? What do you want me to do with it? Do you expect me to beat a Gundam with this thing?" Ali asked back.

The PMC officer smirked. "Capture one if possible."

"Easier said than done," Pang spoke up as he and the Moralian officer walked in. "Are you willing to take a risk for something that might not be so easily achieved?"

Ali grinned maliciously. "My sentiments exactly."

"We're prepared to pay you more money than you can imagine. You can easily retire in comfort after you complete this difficult mission," the PMC officer offered. Ali placed his hand into the new Enact.

"Now that's really tempting indeed."

The PMC officer turned to Pang and the Moralian officer who escorted him. "What do you think of this new model? It's a step up from the demonstration model that was shown in its unveiling."

Pang walked around the new Enact model and couldn't keep his eyes off the thing. He inspected the frame, weapon and cockpit that he assumed was locked in when it's in the fighter mode.

"I love this unit indeed. Too bad we're stuck with Tierens," Pang joked, causing everyone to laugh.

"Tierens are so slow, aren't they?" Ali asked Pang, but he heard his phone ring.

"Excuse me." Pang turned on his phone and spoke. "Colonel Pang speaking."

"Colonel Pang, this is Colonel Chang. I'm about to say that Moralia's entering war against Celestial Being. In just one hour the HRL's ambassador to Moralia will arrive at the PMC Trust military base with your return to base orders. We're recalling all military attaches immediately," Chang explained.

Pang smiled. "Is it really that serious?"

"Yes, and the Russian president has also told us to mobilize our own forces. The military exercise in the AEU has caused panic in the Kremlin, so they need all the able bodied officers to get their asses back immediately," Chang replied back and hung up.

"What is it?" the Moralian officer asked Pang.

"I have to go back to my country immediately." Pang turned around and left the hangar. "I'm being recalled."

A car stopped in front of a large mansion as the butler walked towards the car to open it. Sumeragi, Christina, Lichty and Feldt got off the car and Wang Liu Mei shook hands with them. She escorted them into her mansion as Lichty spotted the maids and began to flirt with them. Christina and Feldt sat down in front of the screen as the jumbo sized computers came to life.

"These screens you see in front of you shows the formation of the Moralian and AEU forces in the region," Hong Long explained. He turned to see Lichty talking to the maids. "Mr. Lichtendal sir, the maids are too busy with their chores. I'll show you your room."

"Awesome! Thanks!" Lichty followed Hong Long, but Sumeragi stopped them.

"You're not on vacation, Lichty," she reminded him.

Liu Mei however, giggled. "I'm not sure if we can find anything useful for him though."

"Really? I wonder why is that," Sumeragi mused. She grew serious after Feldt and Christina continued to type. "We will target everything that is hostile to us, so relay the message to the Meisters that they will commence their mission at 0000 hours."

Christina looked at the data on the Rasiel and frowned. "How come the Rasiel is participating in this mission?"

"Fereshte has kindly loaned to us 0 Gundam's GN Drive for Hixar to use. We'll use it until Chall Acustica requests its return. Frankly, I feel sorry for her because of their Meister." Sumeragi thought back to the time when she saw Chall and Fon back in space. "Let's go over with the equipment inspection for the Gundams. Does Exia have its Seven Swords equipment?"

Feldt typed for a few minutes before the image uploaded with the Exia and the Seven Swords. "Affirmative."

"Dynames?"

"Its shield has arrived, Ms. Sumeragi,"

"Kyrios and Virtue have their default equipment, I suppose." Sumeragi turned to Christina. "What about the Rasiel?"

"It's here, but we didn't have a flight pack available." Christina uploaded the image of what appeared to be a fighter plane with two large wings. "This is a GN Sefer. Hixar also piloted this when Grave Violento was the previous pilot of the Rasiel. It has something called a Proto Bit, which was the stepping stone in the Bit Control Technology development, but it's coming in with a Haro as the autopilot."

"The GN Sefer isn't piloted by a Haro: Hanaya is the one who's piloting it," Feldt corrected her, to Sumeragi's surprise.

"Are you sure you've met the girl?" Sumeragi asked her subordinates. Christina pouted.

"She's that rude girl who gave me the finger!" Feldt patted her in the shoulder.

One squadron of Hellions flew overhead towards the five bright spots, indicating the Gundams' location. They were stunned at the appearances of the Gundams with different equipment for the most part, although the Rasiel with a GN Drive made them a bit more nervous since most of the news headlines around the world showed the footages of the Rasiel without the GN Drive.

All four Gundams broke out of their formation and proceeded to attack the Moralian Hellions with the Kyrios initiating the first attack. Allelujah fired the GN Submachine Gun to force the Hellions to scatter, allowing him to finish them off with the missiles. On the ground, PMC Hellions fired their sonic rifles at the Dynames but could not penetrate the shield covering the front body.

"What's that thing made out of?" one PMC pilot asked himself, but couldn't get an answer as the Dynames charged forward.

Lockon grabbed the GN Pistols and began to fire back towards the Hellions. He constantly evaded the shots while shifting the GN Shield towards the back and shot down one more Hellion. The Dynames managed to destroy one Hellion with its GN Pistol before proceeding to do the same with another Hellion armed with a sonic knife. Once three Hellions fired their missiles, Lockon evaded them and the missiles struck the luckless Hellion pilot. The Dynames then jumped into the sky and changed the formation of its GN Shield, blinding one surviving Hellion pilot before being struck with the same shot.

"These guys never stop! All right, Haro. I'm switching to the GN Sniper. Targeting and sniping!" Lockon told Haro as its ears flopped again.

The Dynames opened its special scope on its head as it grabbed the GN Sniper Rifle and shot down the last surviving Hellion. Meanwhile, the Virtue descended into the ground and faced off against the Moralian Hellions. Patrick Coulasaur's Enact led the charge against the Virtue, but once it opened up its shoulder cannons, the Enact barely managed to dodge the strong beam as its comrades were evaporated. Tieria finally turned his attention towards the Hellions on the ground and fired its GN Bazooka to finish them off.

Setsuna on the other hand, was under fire from the last Hellions still standing. He used the GN Vulcans on its wrists to disable one of the Hellions as it grabbed the GN Long Blade and Short Blade to slice up two more Hellions. The Exia grabbed its beam sabers and threw them right into the cockpits of the Hellions approaching him from the left.

"Such a nuisance." Setsuna grabbed the two beam sabers from the impaled cockpit and fired another burst from his GN Vulcans, damaging another Hellion before stabbing the last one that survived. "Exia, phase one complete. Now proceeding to-" He was interrupted by a rapid fire burst coming from a new Enact in its PMC Trust colors.

He struggled to dodge the shots as the Enact managed to shove him to the side before it descended into the ground. The Enact's pilot grinned and licked his lips in anticipation of the fight.

"Nice machine you have there. It's a shame about the pilot though. You're interfering with my business!" Ali said over the comm as Setsuna gasped at the familiarity of the voice. "Well, Gundam. You're mine now, and I've got a big bonus riding on top of this. So what do you say you surrender and I'll spare you your worthless life?"

Setsuna gasped in horror and glared at the Enact. "It is him. Ali Al-Saachez. I can't believe you're still alive after all this time."

(Flashback)

_A younger Ali stood on top of a small hill as he watched over the young recruits of the KPSA like a shepherd. Each child soldier carried a pistol in their hand and watched as he gave his sermon._

_"Before you can proceed into the gates of heaven, there is one requirement you must complete," Ali explained. "And that is to kill your own parents."_

_Soran Ibrahim entered into his own house with his gun holstered as his parents felt relieved that he's come back. However, once he pointed his pistol at them, the grew terrified._

_"What are you doing, Soran? Don't do this!" his father pleaded but he was the first one to be shot dead. _

_His mother began to cry as she trembled in fear. "Why? Why are you doing this, Soran? That monster has brainwashed you, didn't he?"_

_Soran didn't say anything as he shot his mother soon after. Once he killed his own parents, he left his own home and continued to walk as his compatriots also completed the same, gruesome deed. Screams coming from various houses where the parents of the brainwashed child soldiers died out after the sounds of gunfire had accompanied it. Ali grinned maliciously as his 'children' came forward to face him._

_"Congratulations. You've all become accepted by God and in the process, became his soldiers to wage a holy war against any infidel who dares to invade our land," Ali said to them. He raised his hands in mock approval. "Come, children. Let us celebrate our graduation from innocent children without purpose to seasoned warriors as we bathe ourselves with the blood of our enemies."_

(End flashback)

"I never expected to fight you before capturing you. Since the rifle didn't work, I'll slice you up instead!" Ali shouted.

Setsuna dodged Ali's attempt to stab him and swung his beam saber at him in return, only to have it kicked aside by that fast Enact. He recalled the moment where Ali taught him the exact same moves he made towards him now, and Ali also noticed the Exia's similar moves as well. The Exia brought down his other saber, only for the Enact to kick it out of its hands once again. He finally grabbed his GN Long Blade and clashed with the Enact's blade as well.

"No matter how many blades you have, I know your moves before you make them!" Ali said. He suddenly gasped at his own words and saw the Exia doing the same moves all over again. "Wait a minute. If I know your moves...no. That can't be it! It's impossible!"

Setsuna gave a war cry, causing the Exia to glow with such force that its GN Long Blade managed to slice the Enact's blade into two pieces. Ali noticed the Exia giving a morse code and laughed.

"So he wants me to get out of the cockpit, eh? Like I'd fall for that trick alone." Ali gasped as the Exia's cockpit opened. "You've gotta be kidding me! That pilot opened his own cockpit so he can come out. I'll oblige!"

Ali also got out of the cockpit and stood face to face with Setsuna, who still had his face covered. He merely pointed his gun at Ali, causing him to do the same thing. Just as they were about to fire their pistols at each other, the Dynames intervened and fired its sniper rifle at the Enact.

"You missed! You missed!" the orange Haro barked.

"On purpose! I could have hit Setsuna, you know!" Lockon continued to fire his sniper rifle at the mobile Enact, but constantly missed as it moved down into the gorge before transforming into its fighter mode. "What the hell, Setsuna!? You just disrupted the mission phase for such a foolish purpose!"

The Rasiel spotted the Enact while engaging the AEU mobile suits and fired two bursts from its beam rifle, but dodged it. Hixar pursued the Enact, forcing Ali to evade its vulcan shots while the Hellions under his command were forced to scatter. Hixar grabbed his beam saber and sliced the Hellion in half as his comrades struggled to evade the Rasiel's vulcan shots. Suddenly, Hixar heard a beep as two more Enacts appeared but one of them sported another PMC color scheme and the other Enact has sported a green-gray color scheme.

"I know you, Gundam. You're the one that appeared back in the border but you don't have your fat friend with you." Viktor aimed its beam rifle at the Rasiel and fired it.

"The last time I checked, there were four Gundams, right? Then how come the world doesn't know about this machine?" Naguib Neferu asked her new comrade. She barely dodged the Rasiel's beam saber blade. "That Gundam...hey, Saachez!"

Ali looked up. "What is it, _Cleopatra_?"

"Will you stop calling me that?" Naguib growled. She clashed blades with the Rasiel. "You still have a chance to get your bonus! Too bad Viktor and I can't get ours!"

"Looks like I'll settle for the Gundam with the basic weaponry instead," Ali told her. Unfortunately, Hixar managed to hide behind the Hellion and stabbed it before kicking it towards Ali and fired its beam rifle. Ali managed to dodge the explosion created by the damaged Hellion. "Hey, Viktor! Get behind that Gundam! I'll offer you 20% of my bonus as your compensation."

Viktor grinned. "Sounds good to me!" He kicked the Rasiel in the chest while letting go of its beam saber. The green-gray Enact grabbed the beam saber but Hixar grabbed his beam rifle to shoot the Enact's arm off, grabbing his beam saber again. "My suit's damaged."

"Boss! We can't hold out much longer!" One of Ali's henchmen screamed after the Rasiel sliced his Hellion into two pieces. As soon as Hixar destroyed one more Hellion, he watched as the last three Hellions fired back at him. He swung his GN Proto Bits and fired at them, but could only shoot one down as the other Hellion dodged it.

"We'll have to call off this attack. I may like my bonus, but a mercenary knows that the fight for his bonus stops when he's about to die." Ali fired off a retreat signal, causing the Hellions and the two Enacts to retreat.

Hixar inside the Rasiel began to move in another direction and soon caught up with the rest of his team. Upon hearing Setsuna's foolhardy move against Ali's Enact, the other Meisters groaned in frustration. The Rasiel soon trailed the Virtue and Hixar grabbed a packet of juice inside the cockpit's compartment.

"Setsuna F. Seiei, make another mistake like that and I won't hesitate to shoot you in the back," Tieria warned.

"You'll destroy the solar reactor?" Setsuna retorted.

"To protect the Gundam, I'll do just that," Tieria snapped quietly. He looked at the Rasiel that was trailing him. "What took you so long?"

"Three Enacts and a couple of Hellions. One of them lost his rifle and I managed to damage another one, though I almost lost my beam saber," Hixar admitted. His eyes twitched when he heard Tieria scowl.

Lockon however, managed to defuse the situation. "Just calm down, you two. We're about to sneak up behind the enemy so be quiet for the remainder of the trip."

The Gundams soon emerged from the gorge and began to fire their beam weapons at the incoming Hellions that barely had time to mobilize. The Virtue fired all of its guns at the Hellions while the Dynames fired its beam pistols and disabled its targets.

"Look out!" Hixar yelled to Lockon. He noticed three Hellions attempting to sneak up on the Dynames and fired its beam rifle at them. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for covering my behind back there," Lockon replied back pleasantly. Once the Kyrios and Exia eliminated their targets, all five Gundams walked towards the headquarters where the main officers stopped what they were doing. "All right, I'm gonna wait until these guys surrender."

"Hey, look!" Hixar pointed at the flare fired into the sky. "They're surrendering!"

"Send word to Ms. Sumeragi that all enemy forces have surrendered," Lockon instructed to his Haro.

* * *

><p><strong>AN UNKNOWN ISLAND<strong>

Smack! The sound of a hand touching someone's cheek with such extreme force was heard by the Meisters present as Lockon shook his fist in pain. Hixar was back inside the container, relaxing and talking to Hayana while Allelujah and Tieria watched with abject curiosity at Setsuna's lack of response.

"You do understand why I hit you, right?" Lockon asked. "Our identities are on the same level as the secret of the solar reactors. Exposing them would have destroyed the entire group, do you understand? Why did you show yourself like that?"

Setsuna didn't answer, but Tieria aimed his gun at him instead. "You don't need to tell us. I'll shoot you instead."

"You can just ask VEDA to get an explosive necklace attached to Setsuna instead," Allelujah offered, but Tieria grabbed him by the collar. "It was just a suggestion! Honestly, we have Meisters like the maniac Hixar knows about who have them."

"Explosive necklaces are for criminal Meisters. Setsuna F. Seiei isn't a criminal, even if he nearly endangered our group by his foolish actions," Tieria told him angrily. He turned his gaze back at Setsuna, even as Lockon tried to stop him. "If we let him get away with this foolishness, our lives would be in danger as well. We can't afford to change the plans yet."

"I won't leave the Exia." Setsuna aimed his gun at Tieria. "I'll definitely fight to prevent anyone from taking me off Exia."

Tieria scoffed at him, but Allelujah interrupted the showdown. "Look, I know I'm guilty of disobeying orders too, but there is a reason why Setsuna was chosen as a Gundam Meister. There's also a reason why Hixar was added to the roster as the fifth Meister as well."

"You know, Echo Calore could have been the Exia's pilot if Setsuna wasn't chosen." a voice called out. The four Meisters turned around to see Hixar and Hanaya walking towards them. "It could have saved us a grief if you just killed Setsuna and gave the Exia to Fon or myself." He aimed his gun at Setsuna. "Your youth enables you to make too many mistakes."

"Hey, Hixar! Cut it out!" Lockon pleaded with him.

"Hixar's right on this one." Tieria nodded. He put down his pistol, prompting Hixar to do the same thing. "Tell us why you deserve to be a Gundam Meister."

Setsuna looked at them with his emotionless eyes. "My existence is the reason why I deserve to be a Gundam Meister. It's the fact that I'm alive should be the reason."

"Existence?" Tieria asked curiously.

"Because I'm still alive," Setsuna added. All Setsuna could think of was the image of Ali and his earlier existence during his youth as a former child soldier. "I could have died, but Gundam's appearance gave me a second chance to live."

A minute later, Ian ran toward them with a panicked look on his face. Hermiya followed him in pursuit while Hanaya later rejoined her counterpart. Hixar grew worried and approached the mechanic.

"Something terrible has happened!" he told them. "Terrorists have struck at multiple targets, and a lot of civilians were killed. They've targeted the business districts and train stations. Basically all the places where a lot of people gather around."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Allelujah cursed, but no one spoke up soon after.

Hermiya and Hayana tugged Hixar's arms together as he began to walk back towards the container with them in his arms. Ian shook his head in disbelef.

"Attention, Gundam Meisters." Lockon heard a beep and turned on the mini phone to see Wang Liu Mei's image on the screen. "Moments ago, the terrorist group claiming responsibility for the attacks had this to say: unless Celestial Being stops its armed interventions, they'll keep on targeting innocent civilians."

"Feh. As if we'll be the ones to roll over and let them dictate things to us," Tieria said snidely, causing Lockon to get angry.

"We have dead civilians to worry about and you don't give a damn about them at all!?" he snapped.

Tieria smiled back. "As a matter of fact, not at all. The plan is still in its infancy. Besides, to the world at large, we're nothing but terrorists too. So if you hate terrorists yourself, then you are living a contradictory life."

"If these terrorists think they'll succeed, they should reconsider." Everyone turned towards Setsuna. "We'll be the ones to eliminate the terrorists, because that is what we do best."

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p> 


End file.
